


Opal, Sapphire, Ruby, and STEVEN! - Twists and Turns

by iamconstantine



Series: Opal AU [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Feels, Gen, Not Exactly Pearlmethyst, Opal AU, Original Character(s), Original Fusions, Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-01 12:09:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 168,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13294581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamconstantine/pseuds/iamconstantine
Summary: Steven's world has been tossed upside-down. All at once, he's facing new enemies, new dangers, and decisions he never thought he'd have to make. But there may be some new friends along the way, even in the most unlikely places. Plus, he still has the Crystal Gems and his best friend Connie by his side. Hopefully, they come out in one piece.The sequel to OSRAS - Season 2, if you will. osrasaskblog is on Tumblr!





	1. The Disclosure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the jailbreak, things are falling back into place. Kind of.

"What do you  _mean,_ you  _lost_ her?"

"I was  _trying_ to poof her, but there were escape pods in the room and I…accidentally threw her into one."

"So where did it go?"

"Somewhere on Earth…I think."

"Oh. Oh. Oh! Oh, oh, oh! Oh!  _Oh!_ Oh-ho-ho-ho!"

"Okay—"

"OH!"

"I get it."

"This is just perfect. Absolutely delightful! I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight, yes I am!"

"I'm not in the mood for this, Ruby."

"Neither am I! I'm just filled with so many conflicting emotions that I'm venting it out with anger directed at you even though you don't deserve it and I'm sorry!"

"I appreciate your honesty."

"THANK YOU."

Opal turned away from Ruby and looked to Sapphire. She was sitting on one of the kitchen counters, one arm across her chest, the other hand holding the phone to her ear. With a murmured 'goodbye', she hung up the receiver and picked it back up in one move.

"How's it going, Saph?" asked Opal.

Sapphire was already punching in the next numbers. "It's going."

The line picked up, and Sapphire spoke very much like a telemarketer, in that 'Hello, Mr. So-and-so, this is Sapphire and I'm calling about…' kind of way. It must have been Yellowtail on the other line. Whatever Sapphire was saying, it just sounded like "Mema mema mema, mema mema…"

Opal let her be and turned back to Ruby. "We need to take care of Jasper as soon as possible. She may not be able to call Homeworld, but I don't want to think about what she'd do if she encountered a human…"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. 'Course. Think we should take care of damage control first, though? Look at this place!" She waved around the Room, at the shards of the windows still on the floor, the fallen picture frames, and the microwave that had blown like a corn kernel at some point. "It's probably ten times worse in town, too."

"I guess?" sighed Opal. "Wouldn't hurt to take care of things around here, I guess, if we do it fast enough."

"So we clean up here, clean up the town, fix the damages, make sure everyone is okay, take care of Jasper, and then get back to preparing for Homeworld's next strike. That's not stressful at all! Plus Lazuli and Peridot have  _that_  mess going on—"

"Ruby!"

"What?"

"He can hear us."

Opal tilted her head upwards, and Ruby followed with her eyes.

Up in the loft, with the first warm rays of daylight peeking through the glassless windows, Ruby could see a mop of brown curls beneath a lump of blankets. He was always one to toss and turn in his sleep, but he hadn't budged an inch since they got back, so Ruby knew he was listening. Or, at least, awake. Somewhere up there, his phone dinged with new messages, but they were ignored, as they had been for the past few hours.

Ruby winced guiltily. Her fingers on the counter curled. "Sorry."

Opal had not turned away. The pair of arms folded across her chest tightened. "You think we should go talk to him now?"

"I don't know what to say. 'Sorry'?"

The receiver hung up once again, but instead of picking it back up, Sapphire walked away from it. She stepped past Ruby and Opal and told them over her shoulder, "Now just call the Pizzas."

Opal and Ruby didn't protest. Opal reached for the phone while Sapphire glided up the stairs.

No cleaning had been done. Action figures were still scattered on the floorboards. Without pressing the button, Sapphire knew the television would not come on. The little shelf of books Steven had recently built in was now half-empty. The bird-shaped book divider had hit the floor hard enough for the beak to chip off. A few of the glow-in-the dark stars on the ceiling had even peeled off. Crisp, cold wind was drifting through the glassless windows. The lump beneath the blankets didn't seem to care, though.

Sapphire lifted herself onto the mattress and sat on the duvet. She couldn't see his face beneath it. "Hey."

Steven didn't say anything.

Sapphire looked past him to the window. The sky was a sort of lavender-blue color, rimming a sort of hazy orange. It was a peaceful sight, though she wondered if it was helping him at all.

"Can I lie down?"

He didn't say 'yes', but he didn't say 'no', either. Sapphire lied down beside him, hands still folded in her lap as she stared up at the ceiling. Looking at the faded green of the stars, she thought back to the cell she had been thrown in within the ship—tiny, cold, with only the distant sounds of Ruby fighting and losing to the electric shield. Sapphire had been left alone with her visions, one or two of relative victory, but most of never seeing Ruby again, watching Pearl and Amethyst's Gems taken far, far away from each other, and/or the fates of Steven that had left her a helpless puddle of tears.

"Thanks for letting me out of the cell," she said.

Steven didn't say anything.

"And for getting us all home."

A gust of wind swept into the loft, and though Sapphire was unaffected, she saw the way Steven involuntarily shivered beneath his duvet, and she reached beneath the bed. She withdrew the wool blanket there and threw it over him.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Lapis Lazuli." She paused. "I don't know why she did what she did, but…it was brave. We owe her our thanks, and…I'm sorry we never got the chance to apologize."

The residents of Beach City were returning. She could see them enter the city limits.

"But we'll find her, I promise. We'll get it all sorted out."

When he still did not answer, Sapphire put a hand on his arm. "Can you talk to me?"

At last, he rolled over, but instead of looking at Sapphire, his eyes fluttered open. As Sapphire watched, his mouth stretched open in a yawn, arms and legs stretching out in all directions. She heard something in his back  _pop._ Then his limbs dropped right back down, and Steven smacked his lips.

He finally looked over at her, and his droopy eyes widened. "Oh! Hey, Saph, when did you get here?"

Sapphire blinked at him, not that he would be able to tell. She sat up on the bed and placed her hands in her lap. "You were asleep?"

"Yee-up." Steven tossed the blankets back and hopped to his feet. He looked out of the window for a moment—one would not have noticed the green haze over the sky unless they were looking for it now—and turned to Sapphire with a sleepy but perky smile. "I was tuckered out. 'Twas a tuckering night. But!"

And then he did a cartwheel, flopping to the little rug on the floor without so much as a wobble. And Sapphire stared at him, because he just yawned like a dead man rising just a second ago. But now there was nothing but the all-smile Steven she'd always known.

"Now I feel dandy," Steven finished. Then, with some concern, he asked, "What about you? You tired?"

"I—No, I'm fine." Sapphire pushed herself off of the bed. She straightened her skirts out—not because they were wrinkled, but because she didn't know what else to do with her hands—and said, "Everyone's headed back into town now."

"Great!"

"Yes, but we have a mess to clean up. And Jasper is still—"

"Coolio," Steven cut her off with no malice. He turned for his drawers. He hadn't bothered changing into his pajamas, so his clothes are crumpled, damp, and sweaty. "I want to catch Dad when he comes in. He's probably still upset from the whole 'peace-out-I'm-probably-never-going-to-see-you-again' thing."

"Right, but…Steven, if there's anything you want to talk about—"

"Yo!"

Ruby's voice calls from below. She and Opal are standing at the door. They're trying to look casual, but Sapphire can see them sneaking glances over at Steven.

"We got some peoples to take care of," Opal said. "Let's hoof it."

"Hold on!" Steven pulled his drawers open and snatched out a T-shirt, jeans, and socks, then picked his sneakers from the floor. He dashed past Sapphire to the stairs. "I've gotta—"

_THUMP THUD SMACK BANG THWACK_

The Crystal Gems stared, shocked and concerned, as Steven lied at the bottom of the stairs in a heap. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop in the room.

Then he stood up, gathered his scattered clothes, and finished, "Gotta hygiene-iate myself."

He tried to skip to the bathroom, but he instead hissed halfway there and limped the rest of the way.

* * *

Decidedly, they couldn't really do anything about the ship debris.

For then, and maybe forever, the remnants of the hand-shaped ship were scattered in the seawater before the Temple. Most of it, including the palm, had sunk beneath the waves. Three fingertips peeked up from the surface. You could probably mistake it for a coral reef from afar—or at least, Steven though so. It was hard to believe that there were hallways in them.

By the time all four Crystal Gems appeared in Beach City proper, many residents had already returned. Peedee was hugging the front of Beach Citywalk Fries like an old friend. Kofi was tutting over the broken windows of the pizzeria. Onion was debating on stealing a TV from the electronics store since the glass was already shattered, but ultimately decided that that meant no challenge, and went on looting. Others were wandering around, or, in Lars' and Sadie's case, looking for who to help.

Ruby, Opal, and Sapphire awkwardly trailed behind Steven. They were expecting more damage than there was. At least a missing roof or two. Instead, it was just missing glass and no electricity. Two really mundane things that humans could take care of easily.

"I thought it would be worse," Steven mused aloud. "And no one got hurt! Everything turned out great!"

"Sure," said Ruby. "Not really, but sure."

"We should visit everyone and say hello! No, you know what? Let's celebrate. Party at the Temple! Let's make a bonfire!"

"Um—" Opal cleared her throat. "Maybe we should—"

"Universe!"

Mayor Dewey was standing at the back of the Deweymobile. He hadn't changed since the night before, so he was stained with sweat all over, yet he was still straightening his tie. Buck was unloading their luggage, but he only got one duffel bag out before his father shooed him away.

Mayor Dewey waved Steven over, and he came running. The Crystal Gems lingered behind.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece," said Mayor Dewey, "unlike some of us. So tell me, has the intergalactic threat been neutralized?"

"Yes, sir, Mister Mayor, sir. We protected Beach City. Just like I said we would! And we promise that —"

"Yeah, yeah, politicians don't keep promises, Universe. Listen, you like public speaking, yes? How would you like to give some words of wisdom as one of Beach City's certified saviors?"

"I have no certification, but I'd be happy to!"

Mayor Dewey pulled him up to the back of the Deweymobile and started rummaging. Steven sent a thumbs up in the Crystal Gems' direction, and was met with very unconvincing waves of encouragement.

Mayor Dewey shoved a wireless microphone in Steven's hand, took a step back, and waved him on.

Steven cleared his throat. "Attention, Beach City-zens!"

At once, people were turning. Conversations cut off, and luggage was set down. Peedee cut off Ronaldo's "Hey, Weirdos, we didn't get probed after all!" with a hush.

"Could everyone listen up for a minute, please?"

Just as they did the day before, citizens came jogging and meandering over. The Cool Kids came in a pack. Yellowtail picked up Onion without stopping. As Lars and Sadie approached, Lars cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "Yo, Steven! You alright?"

This was followed by chorus of "Yeah, you okay?" and "Everything good?" from the growing crowd. Steven was then reminded of his present black-eye. He still hoped it wasn't as bad as it felt.

"I'm good," Steven affirmed. "What about you guys?"

There was unanimous, but disgruntled, confirmation.

"Great! Hey, has anyone seen my dad any—"

"Universe," Mayor Dewey hissed from the side, "Stick to the cards!"

"What cards?"

Mayor Dewey pointed to his hands, and Steven only then realized that he was holding a few flashcards covered in shaky handwriting.

He jumped. "Whoa, when did those get there?"

" _Universe!"_

"Right, right. Ahem." Steven held the cards higher and read, "'My fellow citizens of Beach City: Seeing us all here, united once more and safe from harm, fills me with tranquilizer—'"

"'Tranquility'," Mayor Dewey groans.

"It says 'tranquilizer.'"

" _I meant 'tranquility'!"_

"—'tranquility and pride of the highest level; pride from the knowledge that we have prevailed, that we have survived. Even in the face of unpredicted danger, we remained united as one. I hope the pride that I feel is shared with all of you. Turn card. Some of you may be anxious to know what comes next; anxious to know if the storm has passed. As your trusted friend—hold on, that's crossed out—as your trusted  _protector,_ I can assure you that all we need to worry about at this time is returning to our lives as they once were. Turn card. I can assure you, as a trusted friend of the government, that businesses will suffer no financial or systematical damages from the events of the past twenty-four hours. Turn card. If anyone has any concerns for their or the town's wellbeing, I encourage you all to mail them to send them to the Town Hall, and they will be addressed within the year. Turn card. I humbly…uh…'" Steven clears his throat. "Okay, I can't make the rest of this out. It's all messed up with tears."

Steven held the salt-stained card up to Mayor Dewey, who muttered, "Those aren't tears."

" _Oh."_ Steven quickly dropped the cards, regained his composure, and finished his address with, "I'm happy everyone is safe! Great to be back!"

The citizens, however, were…unamused. Steven's grin fell as he looked around at all of them. No one was smiling. Most had their arms crossed over their chests. Some were scowling, others were glaring at Mayor Dewey. Ronaldo was filming with his phone, but in the silence, he murmured an apology to the Weirdos for breaking his promise about never getting involved with politics.

"Um…Any questions?"

Mayor Dewey jumped forward, but it was too late. Mr. Fryman's voice cut through the air. "I want to know what  _you_ have to say!"

A chorus of agreement followed, bitter and annoyed.

In the crowd, someone shifted on his feet. Greg.

He and Steven locked eyes, and Greg's face showed both relief and sweat-inducing concern. He looked like he very much wanted to run up to the van and hug Steven, but Steven shook his head at him. Now was not the time. So instead, keeping his eyes on his son, Greg sidestepped out of the crowd and hobbled to the Crystal Gems. He tried to say something to Ruby, but all she could do was shrug and point to Steven.

Mayor Dewey snatched the microphone from Steven, snapping him back to attention. The mayor was trying to keep an everything-is-totally-fine smile, but it was clear in his eyes that nothing was totally fine. Already, sweat was started to sheen on his skin.

"We all know Universe," he told his people. "We know he is as trustworthy as they come. What he says, he means!"

"He said what you  _told_ him to say," counters Kofi, followed by more agreement. "Let him speak without the cues!"

Sadie spoke up next, directly to Steven. "He's not your boss, Steven. Say whatever you want."

Steven swallowed. He really did want to say what he wanted to say, but he also didn't want to point fingers at Mayor Dewey. The man had poor communication, sure, but Steven didn't want to create a mob against him.

He doubted Mayor Dewey would give the mic back to him, so he raised his voice and said, "Everything is alright. The people who came to hurt us are gone now. We're safe."

"For now." Lars muttered this under his breath, yet he still had fingers pointed at him in support.

"What about the future?" Barb asked. "I can't live in a town that I know isn't safe for my family!"

To Mayor Dewey, Nanefua exclaimed, "You said that we were anxious to know if the storm has passed. You can't address that and then ignore it!"

Jamie declared, "Mutiny!"

This one, however, was met with murmured reluctance and disagreement. Several statements of "Calm down." came from the citizens. Jamie digressed.

Mayor Dewey clicked his tongue. "Very well. Universe, please. Say what you will."

His smile said "I'm being courteous", his eyes said "Help me."

Steven said, "I wasn't lying when I said that the situation has been taken care of, and that everyone is safe, but…I can't say they won't come back in the future. I mean, it wasn't as many as we thought it'd be, and the others probably don't know that we beat them yet, but…yeah. They could come back. And there might be more of them."

Anxiety filled the air. All at once, the crowd was speaking, to Steven, to Mayor Dewey, to each other. Worried gazes and furious glares marred every face. Hands were starting to clench. Voices were starting to rise. Children named after vegetables were starting to scheme their anarchy.

"People, people!" Mayor Dewey cried out until the crowd quieted. "Let's not panic!  _Please_."

"What do we do?" "What do they want?" "When will they be back?"

The crowd was roiling once more. Greg was starting to get antsy. He knew no one would hurt his son, he trusted these people, but he saw a mob coming. Steven, too, was growing nervous in all the yelling. The Crystal Gems looked like they very much wanted to go back to the Temple.

At last, there was a sharp whistle, and all eyes were on Buck Dewey. He took his pinkies out of his lips and stuffed them into his hoodie pockets.

"Let's go one at a time," he said coolly. "Keep it together."

Kofi went first. "What do they want? Why did they come here?"

Steven felt clamminess on his skin. His fingers twitched. "Well…um…We don't know what they want with the Earth…as a whole… _but…_ they came to Beach City specifically because of…us. They don't like us."

He gestured between himself and the Crystal Gems. Silence filled the air as the townspeople stared at them. Sapphire waved.

"So," said Ronaldo, still filming, "if you guys leave, they'll leave us alone?"

"Um…" Taken aback, Steven stuttered. "I—I mean—that kind of makes sense—I guess?"

"Alright, alriiight…" Smiling much more easily now, Mayor Dewey stepped in front of Steven. He clapped his hands together. "So we see what needs to be done. All in favor of running Universe and the Crystal Missuses out of town, say 'aye.'"

There was no immediate agreement or disagreement. A murmur ran through the citizens. There was consideration, but also hesitance, and the only thing Mayor Dewey got as a definite answer was a very slow and unsure "Aye…?" from Mr. Fryman.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Vidalia's voice rose over the others. "We are a community! We do not run each other out of town when the going gets tough. And who's to say they won't come back just because Steven and his family go? What'll they do when they don't find them here? Wipe us out and keep going? There won't be anyone here to protect us!"

This time, there  _was_  immediate agreement. A few claps and cheers were given in response. Yellowtail patted his wife's back in admiration, earning him a grin in return.

"But…" Peedee's voice rose and everyone turned to him. "What will  _they_ do if there's too many of them?"

Jenny said, "Why don't we ask them?"

The Crystal Gems—who totally were not by any means trying to inch their way back to the Temple, no, of course not—stiffened under the stares of the townspeople. Even Steven was watching them expectantly. They couldn't just brush them off this time.

Opal cleared her throat and walked to the van. Ruby and Sapphire followed, leaving Greg to watch. While Ruby and Sapphire joined Steven in the back of the Deweymobile, Opal stood to the side, all of them fidgeting awkwardly.

Mayor Dewey shoved a microphone to Ruby, who took it with a hesitant hand. "Oh, yeah, thanks…"

She looked at Steven, uncertain. Steven had to admit, he forgot that the Crystal Gems and the citizens of Beach City were near-entirely disconnected from one another. The former saved the latter's lives over and over, had thrown Jenny a birthday party, and addressed them when the ocean disappeared, but still…There was no link. Kind of weird, Steven thought. The Crystal Gems promised to protect Earth and humans at all costs, yet never seemed to associate with them.

Steven leaned over to Ruby and whispered, "Just talk to them like you would talk to Gems. It's no big deal."

Ruby nodded, and raised the microphone to her lips.

"So, uh…" She cleared her throat. "Here's the thing…A long time ago, we came here—from another place—because that place was bad and the Earth was good. Right?" The crowd urged her to keep going. "Right. But, uh…The people—um, Gems, they're Gems like us—from that bad place didn't like that we turned against them, so we started a war with each other. It was a long, long, long time ago. And we won! We won, and we promised that we would protect Earth and all humans on it. But now…We don't know why but they're coming back for us. Aaaand they're a lot more advanced now, and they still really don't like us. It really doesn't have anything to do with you guys, they don't care about humans, it's just us. And the Earth. They don't like the Earth."

Sour Cream asked, "So…They won't hurt us?"

Sapphire reached for the mic, and Ruby passed it over. "The Gems from our Homeworld don't care about humans. They just care about the Earth. If they come back, they won't be looking for you, but you won't be in their thoughts when they try to destroy the planet."

"They're coming back," said Martha Barriga. "That's a fact? Yes? No?"

Sapphire passed the microphone to Opal.

"Most likely…yes," Opal said. At the crowd's murmuring, she quickly said, "The good news is, though, that it won't be for a while. I don't know how much time we have, but it won't be…like…you know…instant. Immediate. Soon."

"Right," said Steven. "So—"

"Quick. Fast."

"Yeah. So there's no need to panic!"

"But we have to be ready," insisted Dante Barriga. "Even if it's not tomorrow, we need to be prepared!"

A chorus of agreement started in the crowd, but was quickly shut down when Steven raised his voice to cry, "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Hold on! These guys are  _dangerous._ Just because they don't care about humans, doesn't mean they won't hurt them! You can't fight them."

"And why not?" countered Nanefua. The little woman threw her arms into the air. "I don't know about you all, but I will fight for my home as I see fit! If that means socking some alien rock ladies in the face, then so be it!"

There were cheers and cries. Fists pumped into the air. The people were uniting, Mayor Dewey was sweating, the Crystal Gems were relaxing, and Greg was still by himself and wondering if he was the only one who remembered that his son had just gotten back from a possibly-fatal encounter with invaders from outer space.

"Um—" Opal fumbled for the microphone. "Look, uh…We promised thousands of years ago that we would protect you guys! It's why we're here, so…" She stuck a thumb up and smiled wide. "The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree!"

This was met with many confused stares, and Steven gestured her to lean forward. He whispered behind his hand to her, and after a moment, she replied, "That's what it means?"

Buck Dewey spoke up once more. "We appreciate you protecting us. But we need to protect ourselves, too."

"Listen." Kofi pinched his nose. "You three and the mayor need to work this out and tell us as soon as possible. The rest of us have a mess to clean up."

"Anything to keep my anarch—ah,  _town_ happy," Mayor Dewey declared. He gestured to the Crystal Gems with a sweep of his arm. "Our protectors and I will converse on what changes need to take place to keep us safe. We will get back to you as soon as possible!"

With that, the crowd disbanded and meandered back to their homes and businesses. Greg, at long last, ran forward to the back of the Deweymobile and pulled Steven into a tight hug. Steven squeezed him back, even when he couldn't breathe, and smiled wide when Greg pulled back.

"Told you I'd come back," he said with a chuckle.

Greg ruffled his hair. "I had faith in you, kiddo."

Mayor Dewey's smile dropped. "You fainted five times last night."

"I had faith," Greg insisted through gritted teeth. He frowned and tilted Steven's cheek to look at his injured eye better. He didn't hiss or groan or overall freak out, but he did wince sympathetically. "You okay, trooper?"

"I'm okay, and really happy to be back," Steven said.

"Me, too. But what happened?! I need details."

"Can I tell you later? I still got some adrenaline pumping."

Greg paused, unsure. He truly wanted, and he thought he deserved, to know what had happened to his son—because he didn't nearly go into cardiac arrest for nothing. However, seeing Steven's bright eyes and wide smile, he concluded that, well, if Steven was okay with it, then there was nothing to worry about. He'd already shared enough to the town; he could give him some space.

"Alright, kiddo," he finally said. "Let's talk tonight."

Steven nodded. He pushed himself out of the Deweymobile and landed on his feet. "We've got work to do! I'm sure It's a Wash is a mess right now."

He turned to wave goodbye to the Gems, only to see them frowning back at him. The three exchanged glances, all while Mayor Dewey anxiously looked at his watch.

"What?" asked Steven.

"Um…" Ruby paused. "Don't you want to stay here for this?"

"Why?" Steven asked. He gave them an easy grin. "Like I said, just talk to Mayor Dewey like he's a Gem! No big deal."

The four of them—Mayor Dewey looking both perplexed and relieved—stared for a moment longer. Eventually, Sapphire said, slowly, "It's just…You usually insist on being involved with stuff like this."

"Yeah, but…" Steven shrugged. "We got a lot of things to do. You guys tell me what's going on once it's said and done, okay?"

With that, Steven skipped away, leaving three confused Gems behind him. Greg awkwardly tailed behind him, waving goodbye, if only because he couldn't think of much else to do. Ruby was the only one who waved back.

Mayor Dewey cleared his throat. "So. How about I answer whatever questions you have, since you're so…uninformed about the workings of the town?"

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him. "Watch it, Bill. I knew your grandfather, Bill."

* * *

By the time Connie returned to Beach City—after much begging and everything-is-fine-now to her parents—it seemed that everyone and their grandmother was in the streets. Which was actually true, because every Beach City citizen, Nanefua included, were out and about.

Buckets of glass shards and broken lightbulbs lined the streets. Already, glaziers had arrived from out of town—many citizens had them on speed-dial by this point—and were lifting panes of glass onto storefronts. Those that hadn't been repaired already were covered in cut-up garbage bags and duct tape that fluttered and crinkled in the cold wind. Some were putting things back in their place, unpacking luggage, or just letting the awnings back down. Power was returning to the buildings one-by-one. As she walked past the arcade, games, slushie dispensers, and claw machines returned to power, making Mr. Smiley laugh in victory. The Big Donut had gotten power back, too—while Sadie kept the coffee- and hot chocolate-makers running, Lars carried cups out in cardboard trays, delivering the hot drinks to any chilled citizen who passed by. Everyone looked very calm, too. Not exactly zen, maybe a little tired, but no one was panicking, and a few good-natured laughs were passed.

But she couldn't find Steven Universe anywhere.

Once she found out that Beach City was "officially" safe to return to, she was expecting Steven to call at any moment. But he never did, and by lunchtime, she was thoroughly worried. She called Greg instead, but Mayor Dewey picked up for him, explaining that "Universe Jr. left to take care of damage control."

Meaning, Steven had gone to meet the invaders face-to-face. And afterwards, he wasn't picking up his phone.

Connie looked around at all the citizens. Would they know if Steven had been kidnapped or not? But…if he had, she didn't want to get the news from someone who didn't know what was going on, and it was making her more worried, and her stomach was starting to curl in on itself…

Something shoved into her. The first thought that came to mind was 'I was standing in someone's way', so as she spun around, Connie stuttered, "O-oh, sorry! I wasn't looking where I was…"

Seeing who it really was, she smiled instead. "Lion!"

Lion didn't even flinch when the girl threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his mane. Once she pulled back, he blew a hot breath in her face.

"Missed you too, buddy." Her smile dropped. Her fingers curled in his mane. "I need to get to the Temple! Can you take me?"

Lion lifted and dropped his paw, which she took as "Get on." Connie hoisted herself up onto his back, pulled her scarf over her nose, and urged him on. Lion charged forward, paws thumping against the icy wood of the boardwalk.

They made it maybe a block before someone called, "Hey!"

Lion reared into a stop, almost sending Connie flying over his head. Luckily, she kept her hold, and turned to see Sadie walking out of the Big Donut, a paper box in hand. The blonde shut the door behind her (pausing a moment to re-stick some duct tape) and jogged over to her.

"Connie, right? Steven's friend." Connie nodded, and Sadie continued, "No one's at his house right now. The Gems are talking with Mayor Dewey somewhere."

Connie assumed the worst at once. Were they discussing a rescue mission for Steven? Was he being held for ransom? Was he all alone and waiting for the Gems to rescue him, all while she was getting upset just because he didn't call her right away—?

"Hello?"

Connie blinked at Sadie. "What?"

"You just, uh, zoned out. For like, five minutes."

"Sorry. Uh—Where's Steven now? Is he…safe?"

"I'm pretty sure he went to his dad's carwash?" Sadie held up the box in her hand. "I was wondering if you wanted to take this over to them? It's kind of the only stuff that didn't spoil overnight, and I figured he'd like something for breakfast? Uh, the omelet-donuts were taken off of the menu because they violated too many health code violations, but I'm not ready to break that news to him, so just say we were out if he asks."

"Understood."

Relieved, Connie took the box from Sadie and set it in her lap. Lion turned around, and just before he took off running for It's a Wash, Connie heard Sadie mumble under her breath, "Don't know what they were thinking, putting raw egg chunks in donuts…"

* * *

The neon sign above It's a Wash was struggling to light up, buzzing on and off and on again. A bucket filled with glass shards was set outside the door (which was still missing glass, so the 'CLOSED' sign was propped beside it), and the gate was just barely off the ground. Greg's van was already parked outside.

When Connie and Lion trotted in from the road, Steven and Greg were on different sides of the gate, Greg inside and Steven outside. Connie could only see Greg's legs, the rest of him covered by the gate.

"Okay…" There was a 'beep' inside of the wash, and Greg spoke up, "Try this!"

Steven lifted up the gate an inch. He really could have lifted the whole thing if he wanted to, but he and Greg were trying to get it to move up on its own again. It had blown a fuse (or something) during the invasion, and Steven was hoping that giving it a nudge would revive it back into use, like how pushing a car with a faulty engine could get it going again.

However, the gate moved not an inch further, and Greg sighed. "Okay, give me a second…"

Connie hopped off of Lion's back and came running. "Steven!"

At her voice, Steven spun around, and a cheek-splitting grin took up his face. He pretty much caught Connie as she all but threw herself onto him and squeezed him tight, tight, tight.

"Steven," Connie said again as she pulled back.

"Connie," Steven replied with warmth.

When the feline came trotting over lazily, Steven exclaimed, "Lion!"

With a frown, Connie said, "Steven!"

"Connie?" asked Steven, concerned.

Greg dipped down to look at them from the crack beneath the gate. "Am I supposed to say 'Greg'?"

Connie lifted her hand to Steven's face. Very lightly, almost so much that he couldn't feel it, she touched Steven's black eye. His eyelid was swollen and puffy, albeit not completely shut, and the skin around it was purple and red. It could have been much worse—his sclera was still white, so she doubted any permanent damage was done—but it looked painful.

"What happened?" asked Connie.

"Ah, you know," Steven shrugged. "Violence."

"Does it hurt?"

Much too happily, Steven replied, "Of course it does!"

"Okay…Well, I'm really happy to see you. And I'm really happy you're safe."

"I am too! For you, I mean. And myself. And everyone. Sorry for making you worry."

"Oh, no, don't be! I just came over because I was trying to call you and you weren't picking up the phone, so I thought I'd call Greg, but Greg didn't pick up, so I worried a bit more and I wanted to come see you, but you weren't home, so I got more worried and—Okay, this sounds like I'm mad, but I'm not. I brought you breakfast!"

She shoved the box out before she rambled any more. Steven pried open the box and pulled out its contents: a cup of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate (both sealed tight), some packets of sugar and creamer, napkins, and two things wrapped in napkins. He slid the coffee to Greg—"Thanks!" "Want some sugar?" "No, I need it  _strong._ "—and peeled the napkins off of one bundle.

The pastry had swirls of cinnamon and embedded raisins, and Steven groaned in appreciation. "Yeees! Breakfast donut! Maybe I should go get some omelet-donuts later…"

While he slid the other one to Greg—"Oh, great! I love chocolate don… _Raisins._ "—Connie said, "I'm pretty sure that's a bagel."

Steven frowned and flipped it over. "What? No, it's a donut."

"Okay…Listen, I was really worried and I know it's really serious so do you think you could—"

"It's 'the Big Donut', not 'the Big Bagel.' That would be, like, if Beach Citywalk Fries started selling mozzarella sticks!"

"Noted. Anyway, I think I should know what happened just in case something happens in the future, so—"

"What  _is_  the difference between bagels and donuts? Is it just that one is sweet and the other isn't?"

"Steven, I don't know. Look, I want to know what happened so I can help—"

"Or is it that one is boiled and the other is fried?"

"Steven—"

"Let me look it up…"

"Steven—"

"Oh, hey, look, how to say 'bagel' in sixty different languages!"

" _Steven—"_

"You know, it really grinds my gears when every language says the same thing except for one. 'Bagel', 'bagel', 'bagel', 'bagel', 'ROSQUILLA—'"

"Steven!" cried Connie.

"Connie!" cried Greg.

"Greg?" asked Connie.

"Steven!" cried Steven.

"Could you lend me a hand?" asked Greg. "Need some help in here."

Connie looked to Steven, who was busying himself with sipping at his hot chocolate. With a sigh, she bent down and crawled through the gate to Greg. The lights inside were on, but Greg still had a flashlight in one hand and was fiddling with the fuse-box—Connie assumed it was a fuse-box, she had no idea how carwashes worked—in the other.

"Hold this down for me, will you?"

Connie did as she was asked, but her mind was elsewhere. She could see Steven's knees bending and straightening as he bopped to an inexistent beat. Not that she'd know otherwise, but she didn't think bopping was how people usually reacted to very stressful experiences.

Greg started moving a little faster, muttering, "Oh! Let me try this—"

Steven bent down and poked his head through the crack between the gate and the ground. "What?"

"Oh, I didn't say anything, I was just—"

The gate slammed down on Steven's back. It didn't hurt too much, and he was more surprised than he was hurt, but Steven still cried out, and Greg cried out, and Connie cried out, and Lion got up and walked away from It's a Wash to find somewhere quieter to nap. Steven tried to worm his way out, but before he could, Greg, in a panic, pressed his foot to his son's face and pushed.

Steven was shoved out of the carwash, and the gate slammed down, separating the three of them. Steven rubbed at his stinging eye and pushed himself up to his feet.

"Steven!" Greg's muffled voice cried out from the other side. "Are you okay, buddy? I'm sorry!"

"I'm good! You have really soft boots." He reached down for the gate. "Here, let's try again."

"Actually, why don't you go help out in the town? I've got it here, and I know you're worried about everyone else."

"Well…Alright. See you later, Dad!"

Greg replied, "See you later!" at the same time that Connie cried out, "Steven, wait for me!"

But by the time she'd run through the carwash and out of the front door, Steven was gone.

* * *

Steven figured that cleaning up the city wouldn't take that long, but he was surprised at the surplus improvement that he found when he returned. Not only was the street back to its mostly-empty self, but about half of the storefronts had been repaired. Most had their electricity returned to them by this point.

What piqued Steven's curiosity was the absence of anyone at Beach Citywalk Fries. He would have thought that Peedee would have things up and running at that point. But while that restaurant was down, Fish Stew Pizza was up and running. Smoke was already coming from the pipes in the ceiling.

Steven let himself in. The pizzeria had no customers, but more than half the town was inside. All the Frymans, Kofi, Nanefua, and Kiki were in the kitchen, the Cool Kids, Lars, and Sadie sitting among the tables. As soon as he opened the door, Steven was hit with the smell of cheese, pepperoni, and grease all at once. He was also hit with a wave of heat, which was much-welcomed through his layers of chilled clothing.

"Steven!" Nanefua threw her arms up in cheer at the sight of him. "There he is! Our hero!"

Though there was no applause, there was a round of appreciative greetings and whoops from Ronaldo and Jenny sent his way. Steven blushed under his scarf, and as he unzipped his coat, he mumbled, "Oh, come on. I'm still just Steven."

"Oh, Okay," said Nanefua. Then, with much power, she screamed,  _"Stop looking at him!"_

Everyone went back to how they were.

Steven went to the counter separating the dining room from the kitchen. On the other side, everyone was busying themselves with something. Usually, six people in such a small kitchen would be chaos, but everyone was keeping to themselves, making easy progress.

"Steven," said Nanefua, "Come here!"

Steven sidestepped a bit to where Nanafua was waiting. She had a great bowl in her hands and was stirring its contents with rigor. Steven thought that it looked like salsa—chunky, but not too chunky, smooth but not really liquid—but it was darker and more brown than red.

Before he could ask, Nanefua snatched a fry from a nearby boat and held it to Steven. "Try this."

She held the pot up to him, and Steven gathered a bit of it onto the fry before popping it into his mouth. It was spicy, but not too spicy. He could taste pepper, tomato, garlic, and something that he could only describe as 'seafood.' Like shrimp, or something.

He hummed in satisfaction, and while Nanefua handed him another fry, he asked, "What is it?"

"Shito," said Nanefua. "Old family recipe! I have to make a lot because people are going to be eating this up like  _animals."_

She took a taste for herself, muttered "More ginger!", and went back to her makeshift station. Looking around at everyone's work, and the rare sight of the Frymans and the Pizzas together, Steven asked, "What's going on?"

Kiki was spooning marinara onto perfectly-circular, rolled-out dough, and she replied, "Beach City brunch!"

Steven gasped with wonder. "Tell me more of this magic!"

Kofi, who was working on spreading bits of ground beef onto dough already topped with marinara and cheese, answered without looking up at him. "Things were tense this morning. We thought some good food would get everyone back in good spirits."

"And if that's true," said Mr. Fryman, tossing fryers full of fries with both hands, "then everyone is going to be downright giddy by noon."

Peedee did not share the others' perky attitudes. In fact, as he shredded potatoes into a bowl, with his hair tied back in a net, he looked very (and unnecessarily) stressed. "Downright  _unsatisfied_ is what they're going to be if we don't keep on schedule." He turned around and cried, "Ronaldo!  _Hash those browns!"_

Ronaldo turned away from the pan full of frying potato shreds to glare at his younger brother. He raised his spatula like a weapon. "I will spat 'choo, little man."

Peedee did not seem particularly threatened, although he did return to shredding. Once the last bit of potato was gone, he reached for another, but found nothing. Running the bowl to Ronaldo, he screamed,  _"I NEED MORE POTATOES!"_

"Alright, alright." Jenny came up with a great bowl full of freshly-peeled potatoes. It barely touched the counter before it was snatched away by Peedee.

Steven followed her back to the table of teenagers. There was a pile of potatoes on the table, and they each had a bowl in their laps and peelers in their hands. Lars was sitting awkwardly, legs bent like he wanted to prop them onto the table but was restricting himself. Once they peeled a potato, they put it into the great bowl that Jenny returned.

"Hello, fellow young ones," Steven greeted them. "Peeling the po-tates, I see?"

"Indeed, you see," said Buck. He put a potato (a somehow-perfectly-smooth one) into the bowl and went for another.

Lars let out a huff and shifted in his seat. While others were tearing away at the potatoes, he was turning his over and over in his hands, eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" asked Steven.

"Nothing," Lars snapped. Softer, quieter, he explained, "I just can't…get it right…"

He did another quick flick of the peeler, and sighed when it left a flat chunk out of the potato. He sighed again and kept peeling, hoping to smooth it out.

"Lars," said Jenny, "it's cool. They're all going to turn into stomach acid, don't bother making 'em pretty."

"Yeah, okay…" Lars set the potato into the bowl and reached for another. After a few first peels, he nicked his knuckle and hissed. "Ow!"

Beside him, Sadie tutted, "Be careful!"

Lars whined at her, and Sadie whined back, and they fell back to comfortable peeling silence. Steven considered sitting down to help them, but they seemed to have it all covered.

He heard the door open behind him, and almost turned around, but instead saw who it was on the reflection of an encased poster.

Connie shut the door behind her, pulling her scarf back down to her neck. Her eyes roamed through the restaurant, searching, until they finally landed on Steven. He didn't catch her eyes, though, and as she approached, he snapped his gaze back to Lars and Sadie.

"So," he said, a bit too loudly, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were going to do donuts," sighed Sadie, "but almost everything is spoiled. We're out of business until the next shipment comes in."

"What about you?" asked Sour Cream. He was focusing less on peeling potatoes and more on getting the stray dirt off of his hands. "You bringing anything?"

"Uh…CONNIE!"

Connie jumped back when Steven very suddenly turned to her. He was smiling, but Connie was not, blinking at him through her fake-lens glasses.

"If you were going to a potluck and you couldn't cook, what would you do?"

Connie paused. The teenagers weren't staring, but she knew that they were listening, and she cleared her throat before saying, "Um…silverware? Plates? I don't—"

"Brilliant! Perfect! This, we shall do!"

He grabbed hold of Connie's hand and ran to the door, and while Connie cried, in vain, "Wait, wait, wait!"

* * *

Ten minutes of unnecessary running later, Steven threw the door of Fish Stew Pizza open once more. He had grabbed every last Styrofoam plate from his home, while Connie had every plastic fork (i.e. a single box) in her hands.

Despite his heavy breaths and the wind-chilled sweat on his brow, Steven still jogged to the counter and set the plates down.

"Here!" he cried. "Now we shall not eat plate-less like barbarians!"

Connie set down the forks beside the plates, glancing sideways at her friend. He was fidgeting on his feet like he had too much energy trapped in him, and no way to let it out. Maybe it was adrenaline from the aftershocks of the invasion? Connie didn't know—she wasn't a psychologist. Also, she was twelve.

"So," she said, "We've done our part on the brunch. Steven, I'm really hoping we could talk about—"

"What else can we do?" asked Steven. Connie couldn't tell who he was asking. "How can we help?"

Kofi hummed in thought. He took two piping-hot pizzas out of the oven and slid in two more, shutting the door before responding, "If you're in such spirit, could you spruce up the tabletops?"

In a heartbeat, Steven was bolting for the supply closet. He almost ripped the door off its hinges in his haste. Connie was left to stand at the counter, feeling like someone trapped on the other side of a one-way mirror and watching a broomstick smack down on the floor.

"Okay, Steven," she sighed, "I would really like to go somewhere more private so we can—"

"Catch!"

" _Whoa!"_

Connie just barely managed to prevent the spray bottle from smacking into her face. It was followed by a roll of paper towels, which she didn't catch, and Steven slammed the door to the supply closet loud enough to make everyone in the restaurant jump. He went to the nearest table, spritzed the lemon-scented cleaner, and stripped off a paper towel. Connie almost felt her arm cramping as she watched his arm work at bullet speed.

"Come on, Connie," Steven said over his shoulder. "We need these things so clean, people will see their pores!"

Connie didn't bother hiding the scowl on her face. She caught the eye of Ronaldo, watching her curiously, and he whirled back to the hashbrowns. She went stomping to the nearest table.

* * *

Through much too much elbow-grease, the tabletops were so clean, Connie actually  _did_ think she could see a pore or two on their surfaces. Two whole rolls of paper towels were used, as was a whole spray bottle. The garbage can was full of damp paper balls.

At long last, Steven emerged from the supply closet, dusting his hands off. "There you are! Now everything is arranged in alphabetical order. From right to left, though, so it's not boring."

Steven came back to the counter. "So what… _ahem…_ what can we do…" He coughed. "What can…we do no— _HOW—!"_

He broke down hacking. Connie was hacking, too, and those in the kitchen were struggling not to cough into the food, and the teens, finished with their potato-peeling, were pulling their collars above their noses. Something was bringing tears to Steven's eyes. His nose was burning.

"What's ha- _HAH-_ ppening?" Steven choked out.

Ronaldo had two streams of tears running down his cheeks.  _"It's so lemony fresh…"_

"Okay," Mr. Fryman said, then gave a great cough, "I don't care how cold it is out there—someone open a window!"

Sour Cream and Buck got up to do just that. Connie wanted to speak up, but she feared the chemical vapors reaching into her mouth and onto her taste buds, so she just pulled her scarf up and stood in silent agony.

Besides, Steven was already smiling and talking again, despite the ocean-level-wateriness in his eyes. "What else can I do?"

"More onion," huffed Nanefua.

Jenny's voice was muffled beneath her sweater. "The shito is perfect, Gunga. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried," Nanefua said with a hack. She covered her nose with her fingers and honked, "I am knowledgeable, and if I say I need more vegetables from the  _Allium_ genus, then I better get them!"

"We're on it, Nane— _hack—_ Nane— _HOACK—_ Nane—Let's go, Connie."

* * *

Usually, riding on Lion's back, arms wrapped around Steven, on a quick trot to the nearest grocery store would be nothing to Connie. It would be a very normal, commonplace thing, nothing to write home about, just something enjoyable in a boring way. The finger-numbing cold doesn't really bother her, either.

But this ride on Lion's back, with her arms wrapped around Steven, on a quick trot to the nearest grocery store is most certainly not nothing. Because this isn't just any other winter day in Beach City. This wasn't just another grain of sand on a beach, day-to-day-life-wise. Beach City was invaded by intergalactic enemies, Steven had gone MIA, the Gems were missing, the future was uncertain, and Connie had no idea what was going on  _at all._

And Steven wasn't helping—whoever came up with "One Hundred Bottles of Milk on the Wall" probably didn't intend for singers to actually get down to seventy-four. Steven did, though, and it took all of Connie's willpower to not use his back as a wall and bash her head against it.

The grocery store was up and running, and the doors automatically slid open when they stepped in. In the warmth, Connie took off her gloves and stuffed them into her pockets.

"To the vegetables, Connie!" Steven was already making a beeline for them. "Let's hope Onion hasn't stolen all of his namesakes again."

Connie followed him quickly, and had just opened her mouth to speak when Steven stopped dead in his tracks. He was looking at the price tags and labels with something that Connie could only call fear.

"What?" asked Connie, a bit snappier than intended.

"What kind do we get?" asked Steven.

"Uh…"

"What kind did Nanefua want? Green, brown, white, red? Shallots? No, if she wanted shallots, she would have asked for shallots…"

"Steven…"

"You know what? Let's get one of everything. No biggie. Where's the bag dispenser?"

"There."

"Great! Now, should we bag them separately? Do onions taint each other? Because I remember one time I had a whole bunch of candy, and I put them all in one bag for a while, and the chocolate tasted really fruity from all the suckers. But candies aren't vegetables, even though I wish they were. What do you think?"

Connie said nothing.

Steven, halfway to ripping off a plastic baggie, asked again, "Connie?"

She crossed her arms.

Steven felt the iciness coming off of her. He saw the way her fingers were stiff on her elbows. He looked down at his boots, unsure of what else to do with himself, and tentatively asked, "Is food produce a sore subject?"

" _Ugh!"_ Connie's hands flew up to her hair, dragging through her scalp. Her glasses were knocked askew. "Steven!"

"What?"

"This isn't  _funny!"_

"I know it isn't! I don't want to ruin Nanefua's food, and I was joking to lighten the stress a bit—"

"Stop!" Steven reeled back at her yell. Connie took a deep breath and slowly unwound her fingers from her hair. She held them, palm-down, in front of her. "Just…stop. Just…answer me honestly. Is there something you don't want to tell me?"

Steven blinked. "What?"

"Every time I ask you to talk about what happened, you interrupt me. Like you're hiding something. What could you have done to make me mad?"

"I'm not—" Steven dropped the baggie. "I'm not trying to hide anything from you. There's no secret!"

"Then why won't you talk to me?"

"There's nothing to talk about!"

"What? How is that even—"

"Just—" Steven sighed. "Look, everyone is really tense right now, right? And I know you are, too. But really, nothing happened! They came, we fought, we won. End of story."

"Is it, though?"

Steven sighed, and the tension in his shoulders dropped. For a second, Connie thought that he looked very tired but somehow invigorated at the same time. When he met her gaze again, there was a bright, but small, fire in his eyes.

"When we were all together at the hotel, everyone was really scared, and I didn't get it. Because I knew that the Crystal Gems would take care of everything. But then I got scared, too, because I started thinking, 'What if they can't?' But guess what? They did! Everything turned out okay, just like I said it would!" His smile faltered for a second. "I mean, it's not  _perfect,_ and we have some things we need to take care of, but we're all good! Everyone's safe. Beach City is saved. I'm here, you're here, we're all here, and that's something to be really, really happy about, isn't it?"

Connie did not answer immediately. Personally, if she were in Steven's shoes, she wouldn't be really, really happy. She'd be very stressed, borderline freaking out. It's not like everything was over—one battle on the beach wasn't going to stop Homeworld. Even she knew that, even if she didn't know anything else about it.

Yet, Steven was happy. He had a black eye, but that was it, and he was happy. And he was here, and he was safe. She supposed she couldn't really ask him to not be happy. Maybe she was looking at it all wrong—maybe Steven had every right to be chipper, because even though it was a small victory, it was a victory all the same. He could have lost his family, but he didn't, and…yeah. That was great. He had the right to smile.

So she smiled, too, small but sincere, and finally said, "Yeah. Okay. Let's be happy."

Steven playfully hit her shoulder, but she pulled him in for a side-hug instead. He chuckled.

Once he pulled back, he reached once more for the baggies. "Alright, let's bag these things. I'm throwing in some shallots for good measure."

Connie stripped off some baggies for herself, and for the first time that day, she felt like everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Come ten-thirty, the Fish-Stew-Pizza-Plus-Beach-Citywalk-Fries brunch was in full swing. It was kind of funny, Steven thought, that an entire city could fit in one restaurant—save the Crystal Gems and Mayor Dewey, still in their impromptu meeting. It was a stark contrast to the tense rally that had gathered that morning.

People were gobbling Nanefua's shito like ambrosia—except for Nanefua herself, staring into her reflection in her coffee, murmuring  _"It could have been better"_ under her breath. Peedee was finally taking a break and joined his father and brother at their table. He even complimented Ronaldo's hashbrowns, which got him to smile, but then Peedee noted that he'd put them into the red boats for the fries instead of the blue boats, and Ronaldo took away his hashbrown privileges. Mr. Smiley was in such a good mood that he announced that for the next 24 hours, all ticket prizes at the arcade were half-off. At this, Onion suspiciously drummed his fingers on the table.

Steven, Connie, and Greg were seated at their own table, sharing a mountain of fries, but they talked to whoever was passing. Barb came by to thwomp Steven's back for a job well done. He couldn't breathe for a whole three minutes afterward, but he appreciated it.

It was about twenty minutes in that the door swung open and Mayor Dewey and the Crystal Gems walked in. Mayor Dewey had his hands behind his back and his head held high with pride, but the Crystal Gems looked exhausted. Kofi offered a cup of coffee to Sapphire, who unceremoniously tossed it into her face, gave the cup back, and kept walking.

The room was already quiet, but Mayor Dewey still called, "Attention, please! I have some important news. This morning, the Crystal Gems—"

He gestured to them—Opal was slumped over on a table, Sapphire was seated with her chin propped on her hand, and Ruby was motionless on the floor.

"—and I discussed reforms that would need to happen to ensure the protection and future of Beach City. I would like to first announce, with pride, the union between the Crystal Gems and the government from this moment forward."

There was polite applause, except from Steven and Connie, who both whooped and drummed on the tabletop. The Crystal Gems all gave lazy thumbs-ups.

"I would also like to announce the up-and-coming system in case of intergalactic emergency. Although funding will…" Mayor Dewey sighed, and a bit of the light in his eyes died. "…have to be pulled for the fifty-foot memorial in Dewey Park—which would have depicted every Dewey who has served in the office, including myself, sitting on a mountain top with a fire-breathing dragon wrapped around our feet—I think we can all agree, though saddened, that it is for the best."

No one else seemed saddened, though. In fact, there was more cheer this time, actual fists in the air and smiles on faces. The Crystal Gems finally pulled themselves to their feet—or squatted halfway, as in Opal's case.

"For now, though, I think we should celebrate our victory and our protectors in this meal provided by Fish Stew Pizza and Beach Citywalk Fries. Continue with the festivities, everyone!"

The second he was finished, Opal was approached by the Barrigas, all smiles and polite questions. Nanefua went to Sapphire to give her a "citizen's thanks", three jars of shito covered in purple, blue, and red tops. Steven noted with some pride that neither of them were as stiff and awkward as they usually would have been. Not perfect, of course, they still fidgeted their hands and glanced around unsurely, but they weren't twitching to get away from the conversation. It gave him a look into a future that was already looking pretty superb.

Ruby made a beeline for their table. She and Greg fist-bumped one another, and she took a handful of fries from the mountain—"After that meeting, I want to feel again," was all she said as an explanation.

"So everything's good?" asked Steven, hopefully. "Everything worked out?"

"Yep," said Ruby. "Actually, since you missed it, I can tell you what we talked about. You should probably go ahead and know, anyway."

Just as she said this, though, Sour Cream called out, "Yo, Steven!"

"Truth or Dare," said Sadie. "You in?"

"Um…" Steven paused. "No thanks, I—"

"Go ahead," said Ruby.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You've been through a lot the past twenty-four hours. Go have some fun. Relax."

"Oh…Okay!" Steven bounced out of his chair, then took Connie's hand in his. "Let's go!"

"Okay," Connie barely got out before Steven pulled her to the teenagers' table.

Once they were gone, Greg said, "You can tell me, if you want."

Ruby shook her head. "Not unless you can promise me you won't go into cardiac arrest." She chomped down on a fry and added, "Which you can't."

Steven and Connie strode up to the teenagers' table just as Kiki was saying, "Okay, Buck…Truth or Dare?"

Buck pushed up his sunglasses. "Dare."

"I dare you…" Kiki was already breaking down in snickers, and struggled to say, "…to spend the rest of the game with fries in your nose!"

Buck smiled, but reached for the fries. He stuck one in each nostril while replying, "Challenge accepted. Lars: Truth or Dare?"

Lars glanced down at the fries—tasty and appetizing, but not something he wanted in his nasal cavity at the moment—and replied, "Truth."

Buck frowned. Pinching his chin with his fingers (the fries bumped against the back of his hand as he did so), he mused, "I was kind of hoping you'd say dare, because I always worry that I'll force someone too far out of their comfort zone. So I'll keep it simple: What's an interest of yours that no one else knows?"

They all leaned forward expectantly. Steven wondered, for a second, what personal stuff he knew about Lars. He liked to wear plugs in his ears, and he always wore sneakers, and…Yeah, that was it.

Lars shrunk in the spotlight. His hands, resting on the table top, stiffened. He seemed unsure and afraid over such an easy question, and even Sadie was side-eyeing him.

"Uhhhh…Musical theatre!" Lars smiled unconvincingly. "That's my secret interest. Musical theatre. It's all…musical and…theatrical." He snapped his fingers. "Bingo-bongo, heh..."

"Cool," said Jenny. She took an audible gulp from her soda.

"Yeah, I didn't know that," agreed Sadie. There was something hesitant, but not prying, in her voice.

"I actually thought it'd be pretty cool to have a chiptune-musical," said Sour Cream. "I actually tried one myself, and I had the whole opening number, introducing the characters and everything. Then I realized that all the words were just 'beep-boop-bwap-woop', and I gave up."

Connie hummed. "A for effort?"

"Your turn, Lars," said Jenny.

"Okay, uh…Steven!" Lars reached for his drink and asked, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare!" Steven slapped his hands (lightly) on the table. "And make it  _saucy._ "

"Okay, I dare you…to…" Lars paused. "Hm…I dare you to…" A mischievous smile crept onto his face. "…to go stand in the ocean knee-deep for three minutes."

"Lars, no," said Sadie. "It's freezing!"

"Fine. One."

This was meet with a typical "Ooooooh~!" from the others. Sadie still seemed unhappy, but Steven was already jumping to his feet. He zipped his jacket up to his chin and pulled his pants legs straight.

"Someone time me," he said. "And don't cut me off at fifty-five! I want the whole sixty seconds! I am a  _man._ "

He took off for the door, and they all followed, clambering out of the booth and their chairs. Connie hung at the back, out of her element, even as the teenagers gathered at the door of the pizzeria. They shut it behind so as not to let the heat out.

"Go, Steven!" Kiki clapped her hands. "Sixty seconds, let's go!"

Dead-serious, Buck said, "I wouldn't last sixty seconds. My feet are sensitive."

Connie herself let out a whoop—which she instantly regretted, but no one else seemed to notice. They were focused on Steven, already halfway to the waves and still going.

His hood flew back in the wind, and he pulled it up over his curls again. Really, his only concern was getting something wet once he got back inside. Also, would Lars be disappointed once he got knee-deep? Because Steven's knee-deep wasn't the same as Lars's knee-deep, and…

And…

With the shoreline just over ten feet away, Steven stopped dead in his tracks.

The water lapped up at the shore, receded, lapped, receded, lapped, receded...

_almost really did start crying then, as his friend meshed with his enemy into a formless mass that swelled and swelled. Peridot's fingers and legs and arms did not melt, though, instead clattering on the finger and splashing into the water like_

"Steven?"

_hardly even a second, they had become spears of frost and ice, their razor-sharp ends pointing straight at the Crystal Gems. Steven instantly felt his blood run cold in his veins. The others would be poofed at once—he would be stabbed dozens of times over like_

"Yo, Steven, are you good?"

_all surged forward, and Steven almost cried out, only to see the spears instead melt and refreeze in two short instants. They became one shape—a bondage, a Chinese finger-trap, wrapped all around the fusion's torso and_

"You don't have to if you don't want to!"

_she was gone._

Connie's voice rose above the others. "Steven!"

He took off running.

The teenagers and Connie watched in confusion and concern as Steven's figure bolted in the Temple's direction. As the Cool Kids started to murmur, and Lars wondered if he had unknowingly brought up Steven's aquaphobia, Connie shoved through them in quick pursuit.

"Steven," she called out.

He didn't stop for a second. The wood of the boardwalk turned to the sand of the beach, and even as she huffed in the cold air and pumped her arms, Connie knew she wouldn't be able to catch up to him. His stamina had skyrocketed at some point; she wouldn't come close to him if she tried.

As she jogged along the Cliffside, her eyes swept over the long-stretching open and found something unfamiliar. There was something jutting out of the waves, like way-too-smooth coral reefs. Even at their distance, the sun glinted off their bright green surfaces. She had no idea what they were, but she knew they had come sometime in the night.

She came to the Temple's front—the sand was covered in potholes, she noticed, but besides that and the missing windows, there was no damage. She made a beeline for the hill that lead to the stairs of Steven's Room.

Just as her shoes touched the grass, however, she instead spotted a familiar pink T-shirt just a little way ahead. In the shadow of one of the Temple's hands, long-since fallen and curled slightly inwards, Steven was huddled in on himself. He had buried his face in his knees and was hugging them close. It was like he was trying to keep the rest of the world out.

Connie slowed as she approached, not wanting to startle him. He was trembling, but whether it was the cold or something else, Connie couldn't tell.

She rested her hand on one of the stone fingertips. Steven didn't say anything to her.

"Steven?" She knelt down on the sand, but hesitated to reach for him. "What's wrong?"

He still didn't say anything.

"I can't help if you don't tell me," she insisted gently. She tried to smile, even though he wasn't looking at her. "You can talk to me, it's okay—"

"It's  _not_ okay!"

Connie reeled. Steven was glaring at her, but the fire was lost in the hot streaks of tears running down his face. They kept rolling down his pink cheeks, down his black eye, bringing snot to his upper lip, and she didn't know what to do. She had seen him get teary-eyed when he disappointed Opal, but that just confused her, and those tears hadn't spilled.

She had never seen him cry before.

When Connie did not reply, too shocked to, Steven went on, his voice cracking unevenly. "Nothing is okay! Everything is really messed up and I can't keep smiling about it!"

Connie finally did find her voice. She sat back on her feet and spoke softly. "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" Steven tried to wipe the tears away, but it was futile. "We didn't win because we were the good guys, Connie! We won because we got lucky! They took us out in five minutes—Opal got split apart because of me, because I was distracting her, because I was trying to help and I just made things worse!"

"What do you mean, 'split apart'? I saw her just a minute—"

"She's a fusion. Opal's been a fusion this whole time—she's made of Pearl and Amethyst, two really great people who love and care about each other  _and me,_ and I got them split up and hurt and scared because I was being Typical Reckless Steven again! Ruby and Sapphire, too. I didn't even get us out by doing something brave, I just so happened to get out of my cell. I actually thought we were going to win, because Opal was taking care of Jasper—this really big, really scary Gem who thought I was Mom and wanted to kill me—and we took care of Peridot, and we got control of the ship, and we were winning! We were actually winning! We crashed the ship, but we were okay, and we won, right? But guess what? At the last second, Peridot comes back, Lapis fuses with her to save us, and now they're both trapped in the ocean together!"

He threw his hands up in the air. "It's not over, either! Jasper's on Earth, somewhere, doing who-knows-what to who-knows-who. We were  _this close_ to saving Lapis. We could have all gone home and be happy and safe, and she wouldn't be hurting anymore, but now she's all alone with someone who wanted to kill all of us. To top this wonderful, miraculous sundae, Homeworld is probably going to send more people to hurt us, to hurt  _you,_ and if we barely got out this time,  _what are we going to do next time?!"_

He stopped at this. The tears were drying in sticky tracks, and his fingers dug into his coat.

Connie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

Steven was still for a moment. Connie could feel his arms stiffen beneath hers. Then, slowly but surely, they wrapped around her in turn, just not as tight. Connie rubbed a hand up and down his back, the way her mother did when she was upset, and waited until he started pulling back to let go.

The heat and the tears in his eyes had both dried up. He now looked very, very tired, and was barely holding himself up.

"Thanks for telling me," said Connie. Steven nodded. "You should have said something sooner. It's not healthy to pent it all up like that."

"I know."

Connie sat down beside him. Staring up at the Temple, framed by clouds lazily passing by, felt very serene. In the silence and the solitude, she couldn't find it in herself to feel afraid, or concerned, or confused. It was just how it was, she guessed.

"You're upset," she said. "You should be. It's really unfair and really scary."

Steven nodded.

"When I get upset like this, I let myself be for a little while. I don't worry about the future or things that I don't know about. I just get it out of my system."

Judging by how he finally released his legs, Steven was planning to do just that.

"Just because things seem really bad, doesn't mean they'll always be." She tipped her head back so it rested against the stone. "It may be for a while. It's okay to be scared. But things might get better, too. And you're not alone in it. You have me and the Crystal Gems and your dad…"

Connie sighed. She was never the best at giving advice, especially not the emotional kind, and she sounded awkward to her own ears. Steven didn't seem to mind, though.

"I think we'll be okay," she said. "I think everything will get better, even if it takes a while. So…"

She reached down and put her hand atop Steven's. He didn't grab hers in turn, but he did not pull away.

"Be honest about it. Don't forget about me, huh?"

Steven nodded one last time. He, too, leaned his head back against the stone. He sniffed.

"Want to go back?" asked Connie.

"Can we stay here for a bit?"

"Sure."

So they sat there, not quite holding hands, not quite relaxing, not quite okay—but not quite terrible, either.


	2. The Determined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Steven decide that it's time to learn how to defend themselves. Opal and Ruby are happy to help. Kind of.

 

"Okay, so…Jasper is still on the loose on Earth. Peridot and Lapis are  _somewhere_ in the ocean…And Homeworld may or may not have already realized that something is wrong?" When Steven nodded, Connie continued, "You summoned your shield again, you're kind of immune to Homeworld weapons. Jasper knew your mother, and thinks that she's  _you_ because you have her Gem. And…Opal is a fusion of two Gems named Amethyst and Pearl?"

Steven took a sip of tea—slurping for a good thirty seconds before replying, "Yes."

Connie nodded, but her brows remained furrowed over her eyes. Steven didn't know what else to say, so he just kicked his feet and sipped at his tea. Connie's feet were kicking off the edge, too, much more absentmindedly. She didn't seem to mind the height.

Down below, Steven watched the figures of Ruby and Greg and some of the other few strangers moving about, spots of color on the expanse of white sand. They were huddled around a long wooden pole, resting on the ground. They dragged it over to a dug pit and lifted and lifted until it stood erect. Steven couldn't make out the sirens at the end from where he was.

It was part of the Beach City and Crystal Gem Partnership Plan, the first step of many to come. The sirens stood outside of Steven's Room, but a wire would lead up to it. If the Crystal Gems realized that Homeworld—or something else—was sending danger their way, they would sound an alarm to warn the citizens of Beach City. Three short trumpets meant that something small and easy-to-manage was happening, like a Gem monster, so citizens should just stay inside and be aware. Two short trumpets and one long blast meant citizens were to come to the boardwalk at once. A single, unending wail meant evacuation was in order. When the siren stopped, all was fine. Steven wasn't sure what the evacuation plan was, exactly. He just hoped that the Clam Sham wouldn't become their go-to place.

Steven leaned against the stone finger of the hand they sat on. It was cold, but the breeze was gentle, and the clothes pinned on the line above their heads flapped around lazily. The strawberry tea that Connie had made—or, well, herbal infusion, since strawberries weren't tea plants—warmed Steven on the inside, even though his fingers were pink-tipped and numbing.

It was a very casual scene, and it almost made him forget that the disaster that had happened on Peridot's ship had happened only a few days ago.

Connie turned her head, and Steven followed her gaze. The fingers of Peridot's fallen ship still peeked out from the ocean waves.

"And…There's nothing you guys can do?"

"Sapphire's looking for Jasper right now. Like, future-looking. She can't figure out where Lapis and Peridot are, though."

"So…" Connie sighed. "How much time do you think we have?"

"Uh…Well, when we found Peridot in the Kindergarten, that was a few months ago. So maybe we have a few months? Unless Jasper finds a way to get to Homeworld, but I can't think of anything she can do."

"A few months," Connie repeated. "A few months…That should be a few hours a day, sixty days at most, a hundred and twenty hours at least…"

Steven sipped at his tea. "Are you mathing in your head again?"

"Much so," she replied. Her face broke out into a smile, a sincere one, one Steven hadn't seen for a while. "I've got it!"

Steven nodded. "Good!"

He sipped more tea and kicked his legs. Down below, Ruby, Greg and the workers were departing. The Crystal Gem retreated into Steven's Room, the workers to their trucks, Greg to his van.

Connie's smile slipped off her face. It took Steven a moment to realize it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"…Aren't you going to ask what I've got?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I respect your privacy."

"I—Okay, thanks." Connie nudged his hand off. "But seriously, hear me out on this, okay? I want to help you."

"With what?"

"Everything. Jasper. Lapis. Peridot. Homeworld. I mean—okay, I'm not a Gem. I don't have superpowers. I hardly understand what's going on with all of this—"

"I'll drink to that," Steven muttered, and tossed back the rest of his tea.

"—but I want to do  _something._ Even if it's just something small, I want to help you out the best I can."

"Um…" Steven wasn't sure how to respond. Part of him was screaming, 'Yes! Go ahead!' But another part was hesitating. What, exactly, could Connie do? "Okay! What do you want to do?"

"I want to fight!"

* * *

"No."

"Aw…" Steven's smile fell off his face in an instant. "Why not?"

Opal took a deep breath and tucked a stray hair back into place. She was silent for a moment, and Steven couldn't help but wonder if it was Opal thinking, or Pearl and Amethyst conversing.

(Opal being a fusion was something he was still getting used to. It was really cool, don't get him wrong, but it was very new, and he didn't totally understand it.)

Opal finally said, "Here's the thing.  _We_ are made of light."

As an example, Opal held a hand up to Amethyst's Gem at her chest. It shone a bright purplish-white, but her bow did not appear. Instead, ribbons of light flickered and glimmered around it, waiting to take form, but never doing so. Connie watched with wonder sparkling in her eyes.

"When our forms are damaged, we can come back, just as well as we were before." Opal's Gem stopped glowing, and she reached out to Connie's cheek instead. Her fingers pinched the brown skin, not enough to hurt, but enough to sort of squish it. " _You_ are made of flesh and softness. If your form is damaged, you do  _not_ come back. You go bye-bye."

Connie pulled back from Opal's touch. "Well, I don't want to fight  _now!_ I want to train!"

Opal paused. "Train?"

"Yeah! I want to get better and better. I'd level up, like in a video game!"

"In video games, you get more than one life."

"In video games, you can travel in a party and work together to defeat your enemies."

Steven looked at Connie sideways. "The last time I was playing  _Last Daydream LXXXVII,_ you said the party was only good for health potions and flesh shields—"

Slowly, but sternly, Connie's hand reached out to cover Steven's mouth. She never broke eye contact with Opal.

Opal continued, "In video games, you don't have parents who care about where you're at and what you're doing all the time."

"In video games, if you increase your charisma to fifteen points, you can convince your parents that nothing is wrong."

The Gem's bright blue eyes clouded over in thought, and her jaw worked side to side. A finger tapped against her chin.

"I  _suppose_ —"

"WOO!" Steven threw his arms into the air. "Connie's gonna be a warrior!"

Connie threw up her arms, too. She was smiling from ear-to-ear, and almost like a battle chant, she declared, "If-we-die, we-die-fighting!"

The two went into a chant of "If-we-die, we-die-fighting!" Opal, however, did not appreciate this, and quickly snapped, "No! Don't die fighting!"

Connie and Steven paused, and then Steven instead cried, "If-we-die, we-die-trying!"

"If-we-die, we-die-trying! If-we-die, we-die-try—!"

" _Wh—DEATH IS NOT THE GOAL HERE."_

* * *

Finding the pool in the middle of Opal's Room was much easier when said Opal was carrying you in her arms. The cavern was just as Steven remembered it, a maze of rock and many collections, filled with gentle cascades of glimmering water. The only thing that seemed new was a new collection of socks with weird patterns. When they passed by an array of skeletons—like the ones in classrooms, but maybe less fake—Connie pressed herself a little closer to Opal.

She set them down at the shore, and tip-toed on the surface to the middle. Once there, she reached down and pressed her palm against the water. A single ripple, bright, luminescent blue, stretched all the way to the shore and ceased at Steven and Connie's toes. Behind it, the water looked glassy and still.

Opal waved them to come closer. Connie took one tentative step, and found the water as hard as glass beneath her shoe. She and Steven walked to stand beside Opal, and once they did, she stretched a leg out and swiped it slow and fluid across the surface.

Steven had seen her summon an array of weapons like this before—even though he liked to forget that episode they had—but it was not swords that came from the depths. Instead, it was many different weapons, circling all around them. Axes, morning-stars, spears, whips, lances, clubs, halberds, lances, hammers, and more. Some were shiny and sleek and came in bright, opalescent colors. Others were thick and stony and made of rock that Steven could feel the weight of just by looking at them.

The array slowly rotated around them, and Connie's head turned left and right. Her eyes were rolling in her head like pachinko balls.

"Welcome to level one," Opal said. With the same still face, she commanded, "Choose. Your. Weapon!"

Connie paused for a long moment. Steven could tell that she was overwhelmed, but considering. Her fingers twitched and clenched, like every time she saw a new weapon, she was imagining it in her grasp. Steven kind of felt like a parent watching their as they looked for an animal in a pet store—proud and expectant.

Connie finally dashed forward and closed her hand around the hilt of a hammer. "What about this?"

But the second she pulled it from the array, its weight came to it. Connie gasped as the hammer's head dropped straight to the water, pulling her with it. The impact was enough to send ripples. Steven flinched when it just barely missed Connie's toes, and his own tingled with a sort of phantom pain.

Opal also flinched. Though she was standing tall just a moment ago, now a hand hesitantly reached out toward Connie. "Maybe find something lighter?"

Connie pinched her lips and turned back around. She left the hammer behind to reach for a morning-star. Though not as heavy, Connie still had to grip it with two hands. The heavy ball swung at the end of the chain. The spikes protruding from it glimmered and shone like glass. Connie looked at Steven, as if for permission.

Steven waved his hands at her. "Give it a try!"

Connie, with the utmost care, lifted the loose, spiky ball over her shoulder. Then she swung it forward like a bat.

But the momentum caught up to her, and the weapon went flying from her hands. Steven and Opal watched as the thing sailed over the pool, over the shore, and disappeared in the maze of stone and collections. Steven heard a hard  _THUMP,_ shattering glass, and a cat's yowl.

Steven looked up at Opal. "Since when do you have a cat?"

Opal did not answer. Ominously.

Connie reached for another weapon. This one looked oddly like a screwdriver to Steven, except the end bit was a cube. Connie smiled quite proudly as she held it up. "What about this?"

"What is it?" asked Steven.

"…I don't know." Connie put the weapon back.

She looked up and down and left and right for a good ten minutes, but in the end, she just sagged her shoulders and sighed. Empty-handed, she returned to Opal. Her back was straight, but her eyes flickered about shyly.

"I need something familiar," she said. "And lightweight. Something I can work with."

Opal took a deep breath. "Well…"

This time, Opal's toe made a single, smooth circle. All the weapons dipped back into the water's depths and out of sight, to be replaced by the same array of swords that Steven had seen before. He'd forgotten just how many Opal had, how different they all were. The largest was easily ten feet long. The shortest was about the size of a dinner knife.

"I hesitated on this," said Opal. "I thought maybe a sword would be a bit much, but…perhaps not. See what you can find."

Connie immediately dashed to the array, kicking up water droplets in her wake. She did not immediately reach for a sword once she stood before them all, though. She watched them drift by her one-by-one. One had a blade so thick she had to step back to avoid it nicking her nose.

Connie's eyes fell on one with a blade that was flat, but wide. "Whoa! A pirate sword!"

"Cutlass," Opal corrected.

The next sword to come by had a peculiarly wavy blade. The metal went up and down like ocean crests. A bemused smile was on Connie's face as she asked, "What's that?"

"A flamberge," answered Opal.

Steven laughed. "It looks funny."

"Sure does! It can also kill you, painfully so!"

Steven stopped laughing.

One sword, with a great gemstone in its pommel, made Connie pause. "What's this?"

Opal's nose scrunched up. "It's called…uh…Exacerbate…Excruciate…Escalator…Oh, I don't know. I found it a while ago, wedged in some rock."

Steven pondered for a moment. Any of these swords could do Connie well enough, but he kind of wanted it to be…special? Kind of? Connie was going to be his best friend  _and_ his battle partner now. She deserved something more noteworthy an old sword that belonged to who-knows-who hundreds of years ago.

He threw his hand up—interrupting Connie's "Wait a second" directed at Opal—and cried, "I have an idea!"

* * *

Steven did not enjoy going into Lion's mane as much as he used to.

It wasn't unpleasant, in the sense of comfort. The wide field of swaying pink grass—or fur, was it?—and the seemingly endless sky made for a tranquil scene. Seeing his mother's possessions clustered beneath the one lone tree always filled him with awe and curiosity, although some sadness, too. He'd considered going through all of them several times before, but they were just knick-knacks, it seemed. Old memorabilia and keepsakes.

It was the whole lack-of-oxygen-he-needed-to-survive thing. The beauty and wonder of the place kind of fell flat when his chest felt like it was getting tighter and tighter with each passing second.

He wasted no time in bounding up the hill, but once he was beneath the tree's shade, he couldn't find what he was looking for. The sword was not around the roots, or in the ground, or the branches. It wasn't like he would just look over it, either, as big as it was.

 _Oh,_ Steven realized,  _Lion's head! That's where it's supposed to be!_

He'd forgotten that he and Opal had put it back there once they were done with it. He hadn't held it since.

He turned to dive back into the grass, cheeks still full of held air, but he looked down at the cardboard box still lying in the roots. The greasy, crumbled bag was empty. Lapis's mirror was no longer there. Steven knew just by looking at it that his VHS player wouldn't match the tape there.

There were little, forgotten things in the corners. A single bead of a necklace, a penny, stuff like that. There was a square of folded-up paper too, and, because he was just curious and also running out of oxygen, Steven snatched it up and dove for the pink grass.

Which was a bad decision, in hindsight, because he belly-flopped flat on the wooden floor of his Room. Opal and Connie both flinched, and both reached to help him to his feet, but he sprung to his feet on his own. There was a noticeable red welt above his eyebrows.

"Are you okay?" asked Connie.

"I'm fine!" Steven tried to cool-guy it off, closing his eyes, scoffing, swiping a thumb across his nose. "It'll take more than that to—Well." He paused at the red on his finger. "I'm bleeding. But anyway!"

Steven pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and used the other to point at Lion's head. "Th swor is 'n hi hea. I'll show 'ou."

He went to stand in front of the great pink feline. There was much less ceremony this time, no bowing or billowing mane or anything. Though Lion's eyes did glow like white-hot suns as they did before, all Steven had to do was tap between them for him to get the idea.

Steven reached into the newly-made void, just past his wrist, and wrapped his fingers around the hilt. Sword and scabbard both slipped out slowly, carefully, until Steven could prop them against the floorboards. Once the deed was done, and the glow simmered out, Lion's head lowered back down to his folded paws, not sleeping nor caring.

Steven tipped the hilt in Connie's direction. Though wide-eyed and fascinated, she reached out at once, one hand on the pommel and the other on the scabbard. Opal eyed her warily. As if merely being human meant the sword would sear Connie's fingers off.

"Something special," declared Steven. He put both hands on his hips and smiled confidently. "Straight from the originator of the Crystal—Okay, more blood. I'm getting a napkin."

Connie stared down at the sword while Steven waddled away, trying to stop the gush of blood coming from his face. She wrapped her deft fingers around the hilt and pulled the sword from the scabbard just far enough to see light flash off the blade. It was light, lighter than any tennis racket or bat she'd ever held, but it still felt dangerous. It didn't help that Opal herself, who would have let her taken anything from her collection, was watching her with such concern.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

The fusion's jaw worked side-to-side. The lack of an immediate "yes" only made Connie all the more anxious, but eventually, Opal let out a tense, but steady sigh. "I trust you and Steven both."

That kind of made Connie feel like Opal really wasn't okay with it, but she supposed Opal didn't have the last say in this regard. She slipped the sword all the way out, and reveled in the little hiss it made as it slipped out of its sheath. It truly was a beautiful weapon—as sleek as steel, a bright, proud pink, with lovely petals etched where the blade met the hilt. Nearly pristine, too, if not for a few nicks and scratches that were nigh-invisible.

Without swinging, Connie lifted it up, dropped it down, moved it from side-to-side. She wasn't even holding it right, but she would learn. She turned to Steven, unintentionally pointing the tip of the sword at Opal's nose. She made no response to this besides lightly nudging it away with her finger.

"Are you sure about this, Steven?" asked Connie. "I don't want to take away something so important—"

"I wasn' go'a use eh, a-ee-way." Steven tossed a napkin, spotted with bloodstains, into the garbage. Though his lips were stained pinkish-red, they were dry when he touched them. "I wasn't going to use it, anyway. I'm a lover, not a fighter."

The door of the Room opened then, rustling the garbage bags taped over the screen. Ruby was holding a toolbox in one hand. The tools and nuts and whatever else inside tinkled together with every movement.

"Okay," she was saying. "Turns out, different screws need different screwdrivers, which is spectacularly inconvenient, but—"

Her words cut short when she saw the scene before her. Connie, holding Rose Quartz's sword straight at Opal's face, and Steven, with fresh droplets of blood oozing from his nose. Lion was half-asleep on the floor.

Ruby hummed, then pointed a finger in Connie's direction. "I sense character development!"

"Connie's going to learn how to swordfight," explained Steven. When a drop of blood hit his flip-flop, he groaned and reached for another napkin. "Everything smells like pennies…"

"A development, indeed!" Ruby set the toolbox down and kicked it away. "A welcome one. And what shall our dear Stephonso be doing?"

"Chee'ing he' on!"

"No, I mean, how are you going to be training?"

Steven paused. He was well aware that Opal, Connie, and Ruby were all watching him expectantly. "Wha' do 'ou mea'?"

Ruby's smile had faded, but she did not seem upset. Just surprised, if anything. "Well, I just thought…If Connie was going to do it, I thought you were in, too."

"Uh…" Steven tipped his head back down, pulled the napkin back, waited. "I don't know—Should I be training?"

"UM—" Ruby threw her hands into the air. " _Yes_? Homeworld Gems are ten-thousand times stronger than we thought they would be! Do you  _want_ to be turned into a pancake?"

Steven had to consider for a second.

"Listen, Steven." Opal took a seat at one of the island chairs. It was very much like watching an adult trying to squeeze into a child's high-chair. "You don't like hurting people. I know. We all know. But there's a difference between utter, nightmarish bloodlust and just defending yourself and your friends. Do you know what Jasper could have done to you? What you got was basically a kiss."

The black eye had since healed, leaving nothing more than a few freckles of yellow on his skin. Still, Steven could not deny that he had gotten lucky. He knew full and well how absolutely giddy Jasper had been at the idea of shattering his Gem—well, Rose Quartz's Gem, but same difference. He still didn't know how they all managed to get out alive.

He had tried, and failed, to summon his shield since he'd done it that night. He sometimes managed to get a flicker, a warmth, but it never came to anything. It kept slipping out of his grasp. It was really his only defense—Steven's experiences with Gem monsters had been 95% flight, 5% one-punch-no-result fight. He wasn't weak, but he was compared to his enemies. One hard punch, and he could be  _obliterated_.

He flicked the dirty napkin into the trash and slowly responded, "Well…I guess learning a couple of moves wouldn't hurt."

"I accept," Ruby said at once.

Opal, Connie, and Steven all looked at her, confused. But Ruby just had an easy smile on her face and her hands on her hips. Accomplished.

"Accept what?" asked Connie.

"I'll teach Steven hand-to-hand combat," explained Ruby. "Opal will teach Connie how to swordfight. Then you'll both be trained in your own unique ways."

Connie and Opal did not immediately respond. Steven did, and gave a joyous cry of, "Sensei!"

"Gakusei!" Ruby cried back, but then both of their faces went stone-serious as they bowed at the waist to one another.

"I guess this will work," said Opal, hesitantly. "But we should get started as soon as possible. Quickly, everyone!  _TO THE TRAINING GROUNDS."_

* * *

The training grounds, as it turned out, was the long length of flat earth and soft grass between Beach City and the Temple's back. That was essentially it, though Opal said that is used to be more. There used to be obstacles and barriers and, apparently, pits full of razor-sharp spikes. But then humans got a little too curious about it, and they had to close it all down.

Ruby and Steven took one side of the "field," Opal and Connie the other. Though there was still a chill in the air, Opal and Ruby both insisted that Connie and Steven remove their jackets for easier breathing, less restriction, something-something-"I don't know how humans work."

So there was Connie, with her sword and hand, trying very hard not to shiver in her thin sweater. She already had a steely look on her face, yet she still blinked and twitched shyly whenever Opal drew new.

"Begin with your stance," Opal told her. "Keep your feet apart, one before the other. Bend your knees, but not enough to strain them."

Connie did as she said. Opal took a second to poke and prod her for a moment, pushing one foot over and one knee back.

"Now," said Opal, "Hold your sword firmly. Like that. Good. Now—"

Connie watched, fascinated, as a beam of light shot out the Gem on Opal's forehead. It landed in front of Connie, rising up and up until it formed a sort of holographic figure before her. It was featureless, a mere marionette, about Connie's size and height. It had two big, blinking eyes, and a little circle in its chest. She took it to be its 'Gem.' The beam cut off from Opal's Gem like a cut tether, but the figure remained. Despite being able to look through it like glass, Connie knew that if she reached out, her fingers would make contact.

"Your enemy stands before you," said Opal. The marionette summoned a thin "sword" in its palm, but stood still. "Where do you aim?"

"The Gem?"

" _No!"_ Connie flinched, and Opal deflated apologetically. Gentler, much gentler, she said, "We don't shatter Gems. That's not what the Crystal Gems are about. You aim for whatever is open."

Connie hesitated for a moment, drew back the sword, and stabbed. The blade pierced through the marionette's abdomen with little resistance. Then it burst, shards of light flying up into the air, confetti, before falling back together once more. It didn't even blink at her.

"Right," said Opal. "Again."

The sword stabbed forward, but this time, the marionette deflected. The blades rang together, the movement jolting up Connie's arm. The marionette swung up, nearly knocking the sword from Connie's grasp. The marionette made to stab her in her distress, and though she knew that Opal wouldn't let it, her heart still skipped a beat. She ducked from the blade and slashed without thinking.

As before, the marionette burst into light, gathered together, and stood still once again.

"You learn," said Opal. Her voice was stern—though she was smiling—as she said, "Don't keep your arm so taut. Keep your feet apart, or you'll stumble. Let's do this for today. Simple, no-moving, one-on-one."

Connie nodded, but before they could continue, a  _THUD_  made them both turn. Ruby was sprawled on the grass but quickly standing to her feet. Steven was standing some twenty feet away, arms still extended, looking halfway between excited and concerned.

Ruby dusted grass out of her hair and called, "Not bad! Let's try again!"

Steven came running, and Ruby met him halfway. As Opal and Connie watched, Steven bent down and grabbed Ruby by her ankles. Then he was spinning her, around and around, fast enough to make the air whistle, and let go.

Ruby sailed a fair thirty feet. It would have been a comical sight, if those watching weren't so absolutely baffled. Ruby hit the ground limply, one leg bent to the air and one arm under her torso. The sound of her body hitting the earth, and the reverberations that touched her feet, made Connie flinch—she could feel a phantom shock through her bones.

But then Ruby was just pushing herself back to her feet. "That's more like it! Remember—stop before you get dizzy!"

Steven was already walking back to her. Cupping a hand around her mouth, Opal called out, "What are you two doing?"

"Defense," Ruby called back, as if it were obvious. "Steven needs to know what to do if an enemy ever leaves an opening."

Steven added, "This is assuming, of course, that they are the height of an average Steven."

Ruby clapped her hands together. "Okay, your turn. Remember what I told you?"

Steven nodded. "Roll, recover, refocus."

"Right."

Ruby then bent down and grabbed Steven by his ankles, the same as he'd done to her. She began to spin him, and watching Steven's arm fly uselessly in the air, Connie felt a little queasy. Ruby let go after only one twist compared to Steven's five.

She had a greater effect, though. Connie and Opal's eyes went wide as Steven went up and up and up and up, until he was just a distant pink dot in the sky, steadily sailing to the ocean on the horizon.

Ruby did not look proud with herself. "Ah, stars." She then promptly transformed into a helicopter—something that made Connie drop her sword—and then she was flying away, blades chopping the air, as she screamed, "HOLD ON! I'M COMING!"

* * *

Ruby's fist hit Steven's arm with enough force to make his leg bones rattle. Even so, he held his arms up as straight as he could, knuckles facing Ruby, fingers facing him. Ruby wasn't going to town on him—his arms would be broken to splinters if she was. Even so, he knew just by the ache in his muscles that his skin would be spotted with bruises in the morning.

Ruby pulled back, paused, and swung for his head. Steven caught her hand in his—the gauntlet met his palm with a dull sting. With his other hand, Steven reached for Ruby's elbow and gripped it tight. This would be the hard part.

Steven gritted his teeth hard, twisted his body, and flung Ruby up and over his head. He let go at just the right time, before she could take him down with her. She hit the grass hard, back-first. It was a sight he couldn't really get used to. Part of him was trying to be reasonable, knowing that it would take much, much more than a hard thump to take Ruby out. Another part of him, however, kept imagining himself in her shoes. Everything that happened to her, he felt himself—in his spine, his ribs, his arms, all aching despite going unharmed.

Ruby pushed herself up to her feet without hesitation. "Great. But remember: if I was an actual enemy, you would take advantage of me being down and poof me. And laugh."

Steven gave a curious, "Ha-ha-ha?"

"No. Ha-ha- _ho_!"

"Ho-ho-ha!"

"Ha-ho!"

"Heh."

Their miniature laughing comparison session was interrupted by the quiet yet sharp sound of steel meeting steel. Connie—feet apart, legs bent, arms angled—was pulling her arm back and forth, back and forth, kissing the pink blade of her sword against the marionette's and pulling back again. Though it was not much different than what it had been yesterday, there was more variety in it, at least. There was not a pattern anymore, and a straightforward stab could be followed by an overhead swipe.

As Ruby and Steven watched, the marionette pulled its arm back and swung. It would have sliced Connie diagonally if she didn't block it with her own. However, without pulling away, the marionette simply twisted its grip and sliced at Connie's knuckles. There was no cut, but a harsh brush—Connie had noted before that even though the blades sang whenever they connected, the marionette's sword felt more like dense rubber whenever it met her skin.

A quick burn spread through Connie's hand, but she ignored it. She was very prepared to slash for the marionette once more, but she hesitated. It was no longer moving towards her. Or at all, for that matter.

Opal stepped forward, one pair of arms folded over her chest, the other behind her back. Despite her raised chin, she gently asked Connie, "Are you okay?"

Connie flexed her fingers. The pain had all but evaporated into a slight ache that would have gone unnoticed if her hand was not moving. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just nicked me."

"Try again. Remember: don't expect the enemy to pause for you."

Despite her words, when Connie mistakenly blocked an overheard blow that turned out to be a midsection stab, the marionette stopped moving instantly. Its sword was more than a foot away from her flesh.

"Try again. You'll need to think quickly. Everything is instant."

Yet, even so, Connie noted a peculiar hesitance in the marionette's movements in the next go. When it pulled its arm over its opposite shoulder, Connie prepared to block her midsection from a side-strike. It was aimed towards her head, however—something that she realized when the blade inched ever-so-slowly closer and closer to her ear, until she held her sword between them, and their blades finally snapped together.

"Again. And remember—once you're down, either get away or defend yourself."

Five minutes later saw Connie's legs swiped out from beneath her. Her rump hit the earth hard, probably bruising, and as she hissed, she knew that she would have been as good as dead in a real battle. However, the marionette did not take its opportunity to decapitate or dismember her. Instead, as Connie gripped her hilt, the marionette extended an open hand to her. When she took it, the sword-wielding hand didn't move to her.

"You've made good progress," Opal complimented her. Almost absentmindedly, the fusion picked a strand of grass from Connie's braided black locks. "Just don't expect your enemy to help you once they've got you, though. If they extend a hand,  _cut it off_."

Steven looked to Ruby, knowing that they had maybe been watching a little too long, but found the Gem's eyes narrowed a bit in the others' direction. She didn't look angry, per se, but her eyebrows were knit together and her lips were pinched to one side.

"What's wrong?" Steven asked. "You're ruminating."

Ruby crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't you think Opal's going a little easy on her? Connie's not really learning from her mistakes like she should."

Surprised, Steven retorted, "What? Opal's not going easy on her."

Of course, just as he said this, Opal called for Connie to take a break. For the fifth time. In the past thirty minutes. Complete with juice boxes, protein bars, and a fuzzy blanket for Connie to burrito herself in.

Ruby shook her head. "Whatever. Let them work at their pace; we'll work at ours. Come on, arms up. I'm going to teach you how to suplex."

Steven did as he was told, curling and uncurling his fingers despite the growing ache in his knuckles. Across the grass, Connie was reading a book and cocooned in a fluffy blanket. She lacked the usual peace that usually took her face when she read, and instead looked a bit miffed, judging by the crease between her brows. Opal was braiding her hair back.

* * *

The winter chill did not pick up until two weeks later, and even then, it was hardly sunbathing weather. Connie finally managed to change jeans and a sweater for leggings and an exercise hoodie. Her hair was braided back tight, so much so that it somewhat hurt when she furrowed her brows. Opal said it was important to keep hair out of your face. Connie honestly didn't know how the fusion's single hair tie managed to keep her silver mane out of her face.

The two were walking to the training grounds, the wind making Opal's drape and hair sway and flap. Opal appeared thoughtful, until she finally crossed all four of her arms and nodded to herself.

"I think we should work on parrying today," she declared.

Connie sent her a quick, sharp look. "We've been parrying since we started."

"Yes, but you aren't yet trained in—" Opal's voice dropped low enough to almost startle Connie. "— _extreme parrying_!"

"Yes, I am."

"You are?"

"Yes! It's the same thing as normal parrying!"

"Hm. Well, then, we should begin on stabbing."

"Stabbing?" Connie reached behind her—because the sword was far too big to carry at her waist, Opal had taken it upon herself to fashion a strap to the scabbard so it could go across Connie's chest—and withdrew the sword. She thrust it forward into the air, never taking her eyes off of Opal. "Like this?"

Opal seemed displeased with the motion, but Connie couldn't figure out what on earth she had done wrong. "Indeed. It is an art."

"Opal…" Connie took a deep breath. As she spoke, she sheathed the sword once more, though it took some fumbling. "When are we going to get to, you know,  _actual fighting_?"

"Oh, that won't be for another six to nine months."

"SIXTY-NINE MONTHS?"

"Six TO nine months. Do you know how long that sword's owner took to teach me everything? Sixty years. That's how much I'm trying to fit into a six-year regime."

Connie had many things to say to that—in particular, "Six years?! That's sixty-nine months!"—but didn't get to say it. The sound of quick steps and huffing breath made her and Opal turn around, conversation forgotten.

Steven was running through the sand and grass towards them. He was puffing like a steam engine, arms and legs pumping up and down, and soaking wet. His curls, nearly black, were matted to his forehead, and his jacket and jeans clung to his skin uncomfortably. A gust of cold wind flew by, and Connie could only imagine how utterly freezing Steven must have felt.

Steven ran up to them, gave a quick "Hello", and kept running.

He never so much as stopped for conversation. Opal and Connie gave one another wary glances before hurrying after him. Not sprinting—Opal could have caught up to the boy in the blink of an eye if she wished—but keeping close out of curiosity.

Once the earth flattened out into the grassy stretch of the training grounds, they caught sight of Ruby at the far end of it. The red Gem was rocking on her heels, and she had something black and crumpled in one hand, something large and soft in the other. When she saw Steven, she waved to him, but made no move to meet him halfway.

"Good," Ruby called. "Your timing is getting better!"

Opal's voice called back, "What are you doing?"

Ruby shrugged, as if it was obvious. "Training."

"What?" Connie yelled back.

Ruby's voice dropped a bit the closer they got. She pointed out to the ocean, with its lazily lapping waves and the slate-gray color from the overcast skies. "I throw him out, and he swims to shore." Her finger moved from the ocean to the beach. "Then he runs to the shore, around the Temple, across the training grounds, and back to me. Rinse, wash, repeat."

Connie barely got a syllable out of her mouth before Opal cried out, her voice sharp and cutting, "It is  _freezing_!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and held up the crumpled thing in her hand. "That's what the dryer is for!" With Steven only a few feet away and slowly deflating, she dropped the soft thing and began to shake the other out. "Come on, get in."

She held it open—a plastic bag, Connie saw, absolutely riddled with pin-sized holes—and extended it to Steven. He trudged the last few steps to her and simply fell in headfirst. Ruby had to tuck in his feet for him. Then, without so much as glancing at her audience, she took the other thing, a great fluffy blanket, and stuffed it in with him.

Ruby held the bag's opening to her mouth, took in a deep, chest-puffing breath, and blew it inside. If it weren't for Steven's weight, the bag could have very well taken into the air like a balloon. It swelled and swelled until steam was hissing out of the many holes. Connie wondered if Steven was okay, or if he was baking like a potato.

After four more great, huffing breaths, Ruby released the bag and held it open. "Okay, you're good."

Steven crawled out, wrapped in the blanket and completely dry. His curls stuck up around his head in a fuzzy halo. Wrapped in the blanket, he looked very much like a puffy burrito.

He nuzzled his face into the blanket, and, with his voice muffled, sighed, "I feel like a marshmallow."

Ruby extended her palm out, Gem-up, and a quick red light flashed from it. Then she was holding a marshmallow in her hand, an ability that Connie had admittedly forgotten about for a time, and held it out to Steven. "Have one."

He took it happily, straight into his mouth from her palm, but Opal was not so pleased. At all. Once Steven had (reluctantly) peeled the blanket off of him, and Ruby took him into his arms to toss him into the ocean once more, her voice snapped, "Stop!"

Ruby stopped. Steven was dangling in midair. "What?"

"This—" Opal paused to tug on her side-braids a bit too hard. Steven couldn't tell, but he had an inkling that the sight was a bit of Pearl peeking through. "This is not training! This is just nugatory, noncompulsory imprudence!"

"I don't know what that means—" Ruby set Steven down on his feet, so hard it rattled his bones. "—but I know it's not true!"

"You are teaching him  _nothing_ ," countered Opal. One hand was on her hip, but the other was flapping about dramatically. "He needs to learn how to defend himself, not how to swim in hypothermia-inducing temperatures! Homeworld Gems aren't going to care about how great his blood pressure is!"

"That is true," Ruby said, but her voice was clipped. Though there was only a slight heat to her skin, little more than a flush, her eyes were narrowed at the fusion. She crossed her arms over her chest. "But you know what else is true? Homeworld Gems aren't going to have fluffy blankets and protein bars to fix your booboos!"

Connie looked to Steven and mouthed, 'Booboos?' Steven could only shrug back at her.

Opal narrowed her eyes at Ruby in turn. Two arms were crossed, the other two on her hips. She looked very much like a mother dealing with her disrespectful child. "Excuse me?"

"That's all you and Connie have been doing," said Ruby. "You dink swords for about five seconds, then you start reading her bedtime stories and combing her hair!"

"A Comprehensive History of the Art of Sword Fighting is not a bedtime story!"

"If You Give a Cat a Browniemost definitely is!"

"Don't try to turn this on me. You can't keep teaching Steven like this."

Ruby's brows furrowed, creasing many lines on her forehead. "Says who?"

"Says me."

"What?"

Opal took a deep breath. "As your leader—"

"Really?"

Opal's eyes flashed. Connie took an absentminded step closer to Steven. "What?"

Ruby met Opal's eyes easily, electric blue on black, though her hands continued to flap about at her sides. The heat shimmer was more noticeable. "Half the time, it's 'I'm not your leader! We're a team!' The other half, it's 'I'm your leader! You have to listen!'"

It was a level of—he wasn't quite sure, 'insubordination'? That seemed too harsh—that Steven had never heard from Ruby's mouth before. Given, Ruby had never exactly kissed Opal's toes before. She respected Opal as much as she could, Steven knew, and they had been close friends for thousands and thousands of years. Family, yet Ruby was Ruby, Opal was Opal, and Ruby had snapped at her once or twice.

But this was new. Because before, like when Ruby wanted to hunt for Peridot alone and Opal would not let her, Ruby had ultimately relented to the fusion's leadership. It wasn't exactly a power shift, but the air went thick with tension, almost choking like smoke.

Opal seemed to process the retort slowly. In fact, Steven and Connie noted with great bafflement that when she slowly blinked, one eye closed before the other. Her lips opened, closed, opened again, one hand went up, another put it down.

Finally, she clicked her tongue, almost like a computer finishing its startup, and spoke in a calm but clipped voice. "I'm sorry for being contradictory. However, that does not excuse the fact that this type of training cannot continue."

"How about you let him decide?"

Opal and Ruby both turned to Steven—and Steven realized two things at once. 1) It was not Ruby that said that, but Connie, sternly yet unsurely. 2) For someone who just broke out of space jail, he does not handle pressure well. Beside him, Connie tapped her knuckles against him, urging him on. He couldn't even look at her.

Ruby was watching him with much too much ease, waiting for an outcome she already expected. Opal's gaze was almost the same, but it urged more, a bit impatient. He thought picking sides between Sapphire and Ruby was hard, but this—geez…

Steven cleared his throat (three times), before finally saying, "I don't mind if we keep going so long as—"

"Sweet," Ruby interrupted, because of course. "So we keep going. You guys going to keep taking naps, or are you going to focus on how to hold a sword next? There's about two different ways of doing it, so you may want to take three years to focus on each."

"Okay! Okay."

Opal ran a hand over her silver hair, all the way to the tie. At the same time, her two lower hands clasped together. Ruby kept staring at her, gaze unbroken and somewhat unimpressed.

"This is what we're going to do," Opal said at last. "I'm going to teach Connie the way she should be taught. You're going to teach Steven… _your_  way. In one week, we will compare the results and see how each of them is faring, yes?"

Ruby's brows narrowed even smaller. "How are you going to compare sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat?"

Opal tipped her head to the side. "Two weeks?"

"Make it five days. And prepare to get  _creamed._ Come on, Steven! One more toss."

"Uh—" Out of the corner of his eye, Steven saw Opal was urging Connie forward, beckoning the girl to follow her to the other side of the training grounds. Connie did not move, and neither did he. The two were just rooted to the spot. "I'm not sure about this."

"What?" Ruby waved him forward once again. "It's not any colder. I got more marshmallows, if you want 'em."

"No, I mean—"

"Connie!" Opal called out. "Come on! We're crunching minutes here!"

"—Is there really any use in this?" Steven's hands flapped around, probably ridiculously, but he couldn't help it. "We're supposed to be learning how to fight, not compete…"

"Look," said Connie, "Can't you and Opal just admit that both of you have faults in your teaching methods?"

"No," answered Ruby. She reached for Steven with grabby hands, like a child. "Let me toss you."

Connie was not one to bend so easily, however, and she turned to Opal instead. The fusion looked more impatient than anything, and it only annoyed Connie further.

Raising her voice high enough for everyone to hear, she declared, "We're supposed to be learning how to fight against Homeworld! We don't have time for this petty stuff! You guys are like, what, thousands of years old? And you think this is going to help? Steven and I need to learn how to fight before it's too late! That's why he and I…asked you guys…"

Connie's voice lost its power when she realized that Steven was no longer standing beside her. Instead, he was maybe a mile away, flying through the air and into the icy waves of the ocean once again.

Ruby dusted her hands off, but once she caught Connie's glare, she froze. "Oh, were you saying something?"

* * *

Steven didn't really get to see Connie for the next four days. They tried, and failed, to talk during training, whenever Connie was taking one of her many breaks, or Steven was chopping firewood from…somewhere (Ruby didn't tell him where). But every time they got within ten feet of each other, Ruby or Opal would sweep one away by their collar. To Steven, it made him feel like he and Connie were two children in a daycare, and Ruby and Opal were their mothers who really didn't like each other.

Not helping at all was Opal taking Connie home after training every day. Before, Steven would take her home on Lion, but Opal insisted that it was no worry. Ruby would walk Steven the short distance back to the Temple.

Steven tried to talk to Opal and Ruby about it, but they kept finding reasons to dodge him. Opal would go on spontaneous missions, Ruby needed to check on the Gems Bubbled in her room. The one time Steven actually managed to tell Ruby that this was all pointless, he and Connie just wanted normal training, etc. Ruby was cleaning out the fireplace (as a fire was still burning, of course) so she couldn't spout some excuse to leave. Instead, she told Steven that it was just five days, it was nothing, it would all be over soon, whatever.

Sapphire came back home, once, and immediately left when Steven told her what was happening. In her defense, judging by the dagger stained with purplish goop in her hand, she actually  _was_  busy.

It was the third day of their five-day competition when his phone rang. He was lying in bed, physically unable to move anywhere else. Ruby had insisted on him jogging the length of the beach with sandbags tied to his ankles. It was fun for the first thirty seconds.

He hit the green button and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

" _I've had enough!"_

Connie's voice was so loud and sharp, it made him flinch. He just laid the phone down on the pillow, beside his head. No one else was in the Room to eavesdrop on the conversation, anyway.

He didn't know what to say besides a simple, "You are upset."

"Yes _, I'm upset! I just wanted to learn how to swordfight, not read books and play games! I do that every day!"_

Steven nodded, even though Connie could not see him. "I just wanted to know how to defend myself. I guess if I ever have to fight a Homeworld Gem, we'll just have to race. At this rate, my calves are going to be  _rock-hard_."

Connie let out a deep, heavy sigh.  _"Please tell me they're not always like this."_

"They're not, I promise." Steven tried to reach for the water bottle beside his bed, but his dead legs kept him down like chains. "I think—ugh—I think everything that happened kind of put them on edge…come on…"

" _What do you mean?"_

Steven's fingertips were mere millimeters from the bottle. "I mean they're all emotional and defensive and stuff. They got a lot of feelings, I imagine—oh, forget it. I'll thirst."

" _Still, this is…stupid! Do you know anything else we can do? Opal's lessons haven't sped up at all, even with this competition thing coming up. I need another way to learn sword fighting, but I don't know any other options!"_

"Maybe I can ask Mom's old Room for a training lesson?"

" _I choose life, thanks."_

"Good point. But you know…that was Mom's sword. So she'd probably have, like, sword-related stuff, right? I don't know if she'd have a workout studio or anything, but it might be worth a shot."

" _It would! But do you know where to look?"_

Steven paused to think. Rose Quartz might have left something in Lion's mane, but he never noticed anything in there before. Once he thought of Lion, though, he thought back to the night that he first pulled the sword from his forehead. He pulled the phone closer to his mouth.

"Meet me at the end of your road in ten minutes!"

" _Okay! See you then."_

Once Connie hung up, Steven stuffed his phone into his pocket. He pushed himself off the bed, pulled on his shoes, grabbed his jacket, and took off down the stairs and out the front door. Or…he would have, anyway. His legs dragged behind him when he tried to pull himself off of the bed.

"Okay, um…Lion! Lion? Are you out there? Can you come get me, I'm…Hold on." Steven pushed himself up into a sitting position, and pulled his legs in front of him with his hands. He planted both feet on the floorboards and took a deep breath. "I think I can—Oof!"

The second he tried to stand, his legs bent like toothpicks. Steven found himself fallen and unable to rise.

"Lion? Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"

* * *

Lion eventually came, but only after about fifteen minutes of crying out for him, and Steven felt that it was only because he was annoyed with all the noise. He didn't protest when Steven told him they had to go somewhere, but he couldn't really help Steven climb on. So they came to Connie ten minutes late, with Steven sprawled sideways over his back.

Connie helped him sit upright, and with one simple request, Lion roared up a portal for them. Just before they disappeared into the swirling white void, Steven took one last look at the sky. The sun was setting, one end of the horizon rich with orange and yellow, the other blue and violet. He supposed, if Opal or Ruby or someone else called, he'd tell them that he was with Connie. They'd have to be back before it was too late, he knew. Connie said that both of her parents were busy for the night and wouldn't be back until tomorrow, and she was stuck with the babysitter that never noticed anything.

When they emerged from the other side of the portal, they were within the armory—that was what Opal had called it—instead of the cliff outside of the cavern's mouth. Little droplets of water scattered from Lion's paws as he landed. The great platform was clear of clutter now, with Opal having taken her little collections to her own Room. Now the armory was barren, and everything seemed to echo.

"What is this place?" asked Connie.

Steven climbed off of Lion's back slowly. His legs had regained some feeling, though he still had to lean on Connie to keep from falling over. "Kind of like Mom's secret hideout? Opal said Mom used to keep old war stuff here, like armor and weapons, so maybe we can find something?"

Connie took that with a light shrug, and the two padded up to the platform. Once his foot touched down on the surface, the hand-shaped control panel shot up from the epicenter. Connie jumped in surprise, but Steven just tugged her forward. Behind them, Lion was splashing around in the water.

The second that Steven put his hand over the control panel, he felt it lock his palm into place. Connie stood beside, waiting patiently, then confusedly when Steven pinched his nostrils with his free hand.

Three Laser Light Cannons emerged from the platform's surface, side-by-side. Steven had thought Opal had come for them when Jasper and Peridot were invading, but whatever. It wasn't what he was looking for, and he mumbled, "No, not those."

He closed one of his eyes. The Cannons disappeared beneath the platform once more, replaced by a small array of armored suits. Connie whistled in appreciation. Steven, however, mumbled once again, "Not those, either."

He blew a raspberry. A giant copper penny emerged. Connie's eyebrows furrowed. Steven paused. "I still can't explain that…"

When he didn't do anything immediately, the penny went back down. Scrunching up his nose brought up a great array of different swords, which was closer to what they needed, but ultimately didn't help. Tugging on one of his cheeks brought up some axes. Pouting his lips brought up what Steven could only call an exoskeleton, a bunch of metallic rods all wrought together in the frame of a person.

Eventually, Steven just huffed and turned to his friend. "Here, Connie—touch my face!"

"What?"

"Touch my face! Boop my snoot or something."

Connie did as asked, and pressed a finger to Steven's nose. This brought up some kind of coffin filled with spikes of different shapes and sizes. Running a finger over his eyebrow brought up more swords that kind of looked like Rose's, with their pink hues and thorny pommels, but all seemed unused. Squishing Steven's cheeks together pulled up nothing but a book with tattered pages.

Steven finally sighed. With his squished cheeks, it came out as a whistle. "Okay. I don't know what else to do."

"Does it not respond to your voice?" asked Connie. Her eyes roamed up and down the wet walls of the grotto. "Your mom's room did that."

"It might?" Steven cleared his voice and called, "I want something that can...uh...help with swords!"

At first, nothing happened, and Steven was about to groan in defeat. But then the control panel abruptly released his hand and disappeared once again. On the far end of the platform, a circle appeared on the surface, and from it something that Steven could only liken to a Tiki head. It was barrel-shaped, with a face of circles, and its mouth was a wide funnel, making it look as if it were yelling. Its "hair" was many white, jagged shards of what could have been glass jutting from its top.

Something appeared at Steven's side, and he jumped. It was a stony triangle, no designs or decorations, coming up almost to his chin. Another appeared near Connie, pushing her closer to Steven, and they popped up one by one all around them. They kind of looked like thorns, Steven thought. Once they stopped, Steven and Connie were surrounded. Barricades, Steven realized. Things to take cover behind.

The giant Tiki head lifted into the air, but did nothing besides stare down at Steven and Connie silently.

Connie unsheathed the sword, but kept its blade pointing down. "Is this a dummy, or something?"

Steven, not knowing what else to do, timidly commanded, "Start at level one...?"

The head's triangular white eyes lit up. Its funnel-mouth glowed with white light, and Steven braced himself while Connie drew her sword. Steven could only hope that 'level one' didn't mean 'nuclear explosion', or something like that.

A single white orb of energy popped out of the mouth. Literally 'popped.' And it was moving towards Connie and Steven, but about as fast as a turtle could move. The tension in Steven's shoulders melted away, and Connie relaxed the grip on the sword.

When the orb was finally in front of them, Connie kind of just tapped it with the flat edge of the blade. The orb bounced away like a ping-pong ball, back to the Tiki head, until it touched its 'cheek' and burst like a bubble. Other than a quick flash of red eyes, the head showed no reaction. A second orb appeared.

While it was moving towards them, Connie let out a quick breath. "This is something, I guess. Can you ramp it up, though?"

Steven waited until Connie hit the orb before calling, "Level five!"

A third orb appeared; then a fourth, and a fifth, one after the other. Connie met them all in a rhythm, never missing, keeping her stance straight. A sixth, seventh, eighth, all the way to twelfth, and the head's eyes flashed red and white and red again.

After the twentieth, Connie—a little happier, but still unsatisfied—called, "Ramp it up!"

So Steven called out once more. "Level ten!"

The head gave off a deep, resonating thrum of energy.

* * *

Standing in the middle of the training grounds, Opal was wringing her hands together. Two of them, at least. The other two were drumming on her hips. The overcast clouds had finally breezed away someone overnight, replaced by big, fluffy white ones that let the bright blue sky peek through for the first time in days. The breeze was still a bit icy, but she was never bothered too much by heat or cold.

At this time, Steven would be fetching Connie with Lion. They could return at any second, and whether they'd come to the training grounds or Steven's Room first, Opal did not know. She kind of hoped it would be the latter, if only to give herself a little more time to think.

She finally sat down, and in her thoughts, did so the way she would in a chair. She landed down hard on her rump as a result, but she just crossed her legs and intertwined her fingers.

"This is stupid," she muttered to herself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Never should have done this." Then she added, "Just wanted to help. Why did I have to be so pushy…Ruby was right. Yes, she was."

"Hey, Opal!"

 _Speak of the devil, and into the fire,_ Opal mused to herself. The short red Gem was speed-walking through the sand towards her. With her clenched fists and stomping steps, Opal feared for a moment that she would be met with Ruby's still-burning anger. Instead, as she came closer, Opal saw that her face was knit together with something like concern, not fury.

She didn't stand when Ruby approached, figuring that now was not the time to tower over her so. Ruby stopped kind of jerkily once she was in front of Opal, and though she met her eyes at first, she ducked her chin and looked away. The wind made the loose end of her headband whip around, and Ruby's fingers twitched as though she wanted to tug at it. It used to be a nervous tic of hers, though Opal had not seen her do it for some hundred years.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself," Opal said.

Ruby sucked on her teeth for a moment. "Uh...Listen...About this whole—I don't know—competition? Thing? Uh..."

"I wanted to talk about that too, actually," said Opal. Her voice started strong, but dropped weaker with each syllable.

"Yeah?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah."

"You can go ahead, if you want."

"You brought it up first, so, if you want to finish—"

"Actually, yeah. Let me go ahead and...say what I need to say."

"Alright."

"I'm...sorry." Ruby rubbed at her Gem as if it were smudged. "About what I said. You can train Connie the way you want; I don't know anything about sword fighting, so, you know...Who am I to talk?"

Opal paused a moment to get her words together. Though she tried to keep them all down, one hand lifted upwards to tug at one of her side tails. "I want to say sorry, too." Ruby looked surprised, but Opal continued, "It's not fair to tell you not to treat me like a leader one second and then tell you to do it the next. And I don't know anywhere near as much about weaponless training as you do, so I'm not one to talk, either."

Ruby stared at Opal for a long moment, very still. Then a sort of half-laugh, half-cough bubbled up from her throat. Her cheeks, already crimson, deepened to a cherry red.

"I don't know anything about training...not-one-hundred-percent-Gems," she said with a nervous titter.

"I don't know anything about training humans," agreed Opal.

"That's why I was going so fast. That's how I was taught to do it; I thought maybe he could be the same."

"Well, that's why I was going so slow. I would sooner shatter into a million pieces before I got Connie hurt."

Ruby nodded in understanding. She reached for her Gem again, but then she just slapped both of her hands down to her thighs.

"So, uh..." She cleared her throat. "This whole competition thing?"

"Let's just not," Opal finished for her. "We're working on precious time as it is; we don't need all this one-upping."

"Agreed." Ruby paused, then added, "And I'll go easier on Steven from now on."

Opal nodded. "I'll go harder on Connie."

A comfortable, satisfied silence passed between the two of them. Wind gusted over the grass, making it ripple, and Opal fiddled a piece of it between her fingertips. Then Ruby's face suddenly contorted into wide-eyed shock, and Opal stared.

Slowly, disbelieving, Ruby asked, "Did we just work out a personal problem without Steven having to do it for us?"

Shock hit Opal, as well. The hand fiddling with the grass suddenly snapped it off the quick, another hand lifted to cup her cheek. Ruby was silent, as though waiting for Opal to prove her wrong.

"I think we did," Opal said at last.

At the same time, they both gave a little, somewhat impressed "Hm."

Their little moment was cut short by something sounding off in the distance—a whoosh of air, a dull popping sound, something skidding on the grass. Opal had heard it many times before, and pushed herself up to her toes. Ruby dusted off her pants, even though they were clean as could be.

"That's them," Opal said, even though she knew that Ruby knew.

Ruby nodded. "That's them. Soooo we'll just tell them that this competition-thing isn't happening, and I'll apologize?"

" _We'll_  apologize," was the only correction Opal had.

Ruby nodded, but just as the hint of a smile crept up onto her face, there was another sound. Yelling, distant, but somewhat steadily growing closer. Beside her, Opal went still.

"Is that Connie and Steven?" she asked.

Right at the last syllable, there was a loud, electric  _ZAP_  that had both of them jumping.

"Well," said Ruby, " _that_  wasn't."

"Opal," they both heard. Then, "Ruby!" Both names were cried out in panic and terror.

Ruby and Opal moved at the same time, charging forward, then stumbling to a stop. Connie and Steven were running,  _blazing_ , around the Temple's side. Eyes wide, hair like nests, arms pumping and Connie's swinging Rose's sword up and down in pink arcs. The two children were charging for the Gems like they were shelter from enemy fire.

Just behind them, the great floating head of the secret armory was almost on their heels. The colors had turned into electric yellows, bright like sunlight. A bolt of lightning shot out from its mouth, striking the ground where the children stood just a second prior. The grass was scorched black.

"Is that one of the old training heads?!" asked Ruby. But she sprinted forward right as she said this, and that, combined with her sudden panic, made it sound more like, "Istatoneatholtrainingheah?!"

Opal didn't even answer. Within just a second, two of her arms turned into pure light, shooting out and scooping Connie and Steven up from the earth. She just barely got them out of another bolt's path.

At the same time, Ruby summoned a gauntlet onto her Gem-bearing hand and aimed it right at the incoming head. It shot out of her wrist like a rocket, zipping in a stream of smoke to crash right between the thing's eyes. It went spiraling backwards, but remained a long way from undefeated.

Opal set Connie and Steven down, and while her arms returned to normal, demanded, "Explanation. Now."

"Didn't want to compete," huffed Steven.

"Secret place," puffed Connie.

"Training…"

"Couldn't stop it…"

"Followed us…"

Opal at first blinked in shock, then just sighed and nudged them behind her. The head's colors faded from yellows to blues, and the next thing that shot out of its mouth was a great, thick sphere of burning ice. Ruby was unable to stop it, but Opal was. In zero seconds flat, she'd summoned her bow and a shining blue arrow into her hands. There was a quick  _zip,_ a burst, and then a cloud of snow was blanketing around them.

Ruby once again fired a gauntlet at the head, this time hitting it hard enough to knock some of its 'hair' loose. But it still was not quite enough to stop it, and its eyes turned to Ruby. Blues went to reds, and before anyone could react, flames were shooting down at Ruby.

But of course, it was Ruby, so despite the great flurry of flames that rained down on the grass, she just stood in a ring of smoking grass, glaring up at the head. "Nice one."

Looking back, Steven thought that perhaps the head took offense to her comment. At that moment, it sprouted two more mouths that spun all around its head, and its colors were flashing one to another. Fire, ice, and electricity rained down all around them, bursting against the grass in clouds of steam and smoke. Steven yelled when a fireball erupted right next to him, surely burning his skin. Connie just barely dodged a flying chunk of clay.

Opal summoned another arrow, then another, but with every one she shot, they burst against the bolts and fire and ice instead of the head. She had no chance of hitting it with so many things in the way, and she gritted her teeth upon realizing this.

"Opal," Ruby called out. Her gauntlet had reappeared, and the place where it met her wrist was glowing bright as fire. "I need time to charge up. Hold it still!"

Opal reached behind her and pushed Steven and Connie down. "Steven, cover yourselves!"

Steven knew he would be unable to summon his shield, so he instead focused on a bubble. To his amazement and relief, it came at once, shining out of his Gem and wrapping him and Connie in round pink walls. A bolt of lightning exploded against the outside, and though it rocked Steven and Connie, the Bubble held.

Steven and Connie watched with fear and wonder as Opal released her bow and reached for the Gem at her chest. She pulled out a long black whip, studded with sharp purple gemstones and splitting into cattails.

The second Opal's arm swung, the whip's ends wrapped around the head. It took Opal's toes digging into the earth and her arms shaking with effort, but it stopped spinning. It still moved, though, and as it darted back and forth and back again, Opal was yanked and twisted like a rag doll. She even shapeshifted two more arms to help, but it did nothing. Her whip was about to give way, and more fire was raining down.

"Ruby!" she called out.

Ruby aimed her gauntlet, the end was now sparking flames, and fired. This time, there was a burst of fire with it, and an almost electric red tail followed it as it crashed into the head.

Even inside the Bubble, Steven felt a great shock when the head burst into ash. Opal nearly lost her balance, and a great chunk of stone bounced against the Bubble. Smoke and pebbles fell down all around them, and when Steven thought it safe enough to release the Bubble, he and Connie both winced at the acidic stench in the air.

Ruby sighed. The gauntlet seemed to have taken her hand with it, but it reappeared in a moment. She gave Connie and Steven a shaky smile. "Okay! Now that that's taken care of, we can talk about—"

She never got to finish. The empty, half-demolished but still very large shell of the head crashed down upon her.

* * *

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry, too."

Connie and Steven's apologies were muffled against the countertop. The two had escaped from the ordeal unharmed, except for their sleepless bodies and the small burn on Steven's arm that was slathered in salve. But you'd think they'd fought a war, the way they were slumped forward in their chairs.

Opal just rolled her eyes at them and fiddled with a thread on the pillow between them. Ruby's Gem rested, unmoving, in the middle. It looked awfully small to Opal, though that might have been due to her not seeing it outside of Ruby's palm for quite a while.

At the sixtieth round of apologies, Opal finally snapped, "Okay! I know you're sorry. It's fine."

"We just didn't want to do the competition," sighed Steven. He looked down at Ruby's Gem, then quickly looked away as though it hurt.

"I know," said Opal. "Ruby and I talked, and...Well, we decided that this whole thing was kind of stupid. We wanted to say that we were sorry for turning you guys into chess pieces for this game we were having. We can both be pretty stubborn, as you can see. And Connie?"

Connie's head snapped up. Rose's sword lay propped against her thigh, and it almost dropped to the floor at the sudden movement.

"I would like to give a personal apology," continued Opal. "You tried to tell me you could go a little faster in training, and I dismissed you. But you were right. We'll put a little more effort into this from now on, but you have to tell me if you need to slow down, alright?"

Connie smiled brightly then, despite her wild hair and smoke-stained clothes. "Yes, ma'am!"

"We'll start somewhere new tomorrow. And Steven?"

Steven looked at her. He actually already was, but he wasn't really  _seeing_  her, he just had his eyes painfully trained ahead so as not to drift down and look at the Gem on the pillow.

"Ruby wanted to say she was sorry, too, but I think she wants to say it herself. So just wait until she comes back."

Steven did not say anything, but he finally built up the courage to look down. His hand twitched as though he was about to reach out for Ruby's Gem, but he held it down. He nodded at Opal, and propped his head in his hands.

Watching them, Opal frowned. With the dirt and ash and whatever else, she hadn't given much thought to the bags under their eyes and the heaviness in their limbs. Each time they blinked, it was slow, and their eyelids remained closed a few seconds longer than they should. Opal and Ruby were on the training grounds at, what, ten? And Steven and Connie had been up long enough to go to the armory and activate the training bot.

"When did you guys leave?" she asked.

"Last night," answered Connie.

"And you've been awake ever since?"

"Affirmatory," replied Steven.

 _I guess this is kind of our fault,_  Opal mentally sighed to herself. She waved her hands at them. "Alright, go to bed. We'll finish this heart-to-heart later."

Neither Steven nor Connie objected. They just stood up and walked to the stairs, the sword dragging between them. Watching their feet slug up the steps, Opal shook her head.

About fifteen minutes passed, during which Opal took care of tossing away the empty plates and cups and whatnot. Sapphire came back during this time, and once she saw Ruby's lone Gem lying on the kitchen island, she just gave a grumbled, "Of course," and turned for the Door. Opal chuckled after she left.

Then Ruby's Gem lit up neon red, and Opal, who had been sweeping up the sand near the door, set the broom aside. Light spilled forth from the Gem, lifting it up into the air, reds and oranges and yellows creating a fiery image. Steven and Connie did not stir despite the light that should have pierced through their eyelids.

Ruby's arms and legs appeared, then her hair, then the little ribbon of her headband, and then she was standing atop the island. Opal was always kind of impressed with how well Ruby turned out despite the little time she took regenerating. Her colors were richer now, crimson skin now closer to maroon. Her clothes looked almost the same, but she lacked the band around her leg now, and her pants had become shorts. She'd moved the star, too, so that it rested underneath her collar.

Once she was all solid and 'official', Ruby looked around until her eyes fell on Opal. "Everything good?"

In answer, Opal pointed up at the loft. Steven and Connie laid side-by-side, limbs sprawled out, snoring loudly. Connie's hand had landed on Steven's back, one foot touching the other's. Rose's sword lied forgotten on the floorboards, which didn't bother Opal as much as she thought it would.

Ruby blew a raspberry. "I was supposed to apologize."

"Let them rest," said Opal. "Then you can. In the meantime - I haven't seen you do that technique for a while now. Have you been practicing?"

"Yeah," Ruby replied with much enthusiasm. "For some reason, the  _calmer_  I am, the better it works? Which is weird, because almost everything else I do works the opposite..."

The two talked on, their voices the only sound in Steven's Room besides his and Connie's snoring. Steven drew his legs up a little further, unknowingly pushing up his pockets. The folded paper in his pocket peeked out.


	3. The Starchild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg would always remember the day they met.

Many years ago—when he still had a full head of hair and a clean-shaven face, but still lived in a van—Greg DeMayo decided to become a rock star.

Greg's love for music had always existed. He liked to joke that he was born air-guitaring, something that rarely made people laugh but he always said anyway. Greg had always been laidback and fun-loving, so hardly anyone took him seriously when he said he was planning to pursue music. Even his cousin Andy, who he got along with better than anyone and was probably the closest thing he had to a brother, always chuckled when he gushed about rock and roll. That's why he enrolled in community college; years upon years of being told he couldn't do it finally got to him. Still, when the itch to stand on a stage, behind a microphone, with the notes of a guitar blasting through speakers got too great, Greg finally did it. He finally chased his dream.

It had its ups and downs. He even made a list!

Ups:

No more worrying about college!

No more family members taunting him about music!

He had a house, a car, and a storage unit all in one!

Downs:

He dropped out of college.

His family was very, very disappointed, forever and ever.

He lived in a car.

He had no job.

He was pretty much broke.

He only had so much equipment to work with.

No one knew or cared who he was.

He no longer had a shower.

Or a toilet.

Or a fridge.

Et cetera, et cetera, reality is a cruel mistress.

There was a point where he very, very nearly just quit. He only had fifty bucks left. It was in the middle of winter, and because he couldn't leave his car running at night, it was always freezing when he went to bed. He was sluggish from an all-fast food diet, greasy from only-occasional showers, and incredibly lonely. His stereo speakers, his microphone, his wires, everything—it call collected dust in his van.

When he finally got hired for a performance, some guy had come to him while he was tuning his guitar in a parking lot. He—very uninterested—asked if he was willing to play at the birthday party of a friend. Greg had been over the moon. He put on his best clothes, shined his shoes, combed his hair, and came to perform with every bit of talent he had. And standing on that stage, eyes on him, singing into the microphone while his fingers danced over the strings, was like "lassoing the moon", as his father would say.

The "birthday boy", as it turned out, was about ninety years old. So were all the party guests. And none of them liked that their hearing aids were practically obliterated by his smashin-frashin'-devil's music.

And so it was the end, it seemed. But as he was packing his stuff back into his van afterward, a guy jogged up to him. Reed-thin, with short platinum hair, and teeth that reminded Greg a bit too much of a shark. His name was Marty, he said. He'd been working at the nursing home for about a month and he already hated it. When he heard Greg, he'd heard potential. A long road with victory at the end. Marty himself wasn't swimming in gold, but he had enough saved up to keep them going—food, necessities, even CDs and T-shirts. All he asked was that, as Greg's manager, he got eighty percent of the cut. Greg thought that made perfect sense and agreed at once.

"What's your name?" Marty had asked.

"Greg DeMayo," he'd answered.

Marty had scoffed. "That's not a name that sells. What's your stage name?"

Greg had paused, and looked into his van. Every song he'd ever written was about stars, the cosmos, comets, planets, everything beyond the clouds. Greg had always had a huge fascination with that kind of stuff—the inexplicable but beautiful and awe-inspiring. He thought that kind of described himself, however pretentious that sounded. Yeah, Greg didn't seem like much, but give him a chance and a guitar, and he could be something amazing.

"Mr. Universe," he told Marty.

The blond seemed to consider. "Kind of stupid. But stupid enough to sell. Let's hear some recordings."

About a year passed with Marty, and it was probably the biggest baby step Greg had ever gone through. He and Marty were never miserable. They always ate, they never froze, they were clean and healthy…but Greg had been stupid to believe his career would take off like a rocket. Even after they made CDs and T-shirts and he legally changed his last name just to commit to the role, they were still stuck in the van. He got hired to sing at parties or social gatherings and whatever else. For once, people actually listened, and though they gave him praise, and though they managed to sell some merchandise, talent agents were nowhere to be found.

Marty had thought it best to kick off a tour. They were trapped in the state, it seemed, and Greg had gone stale. They needed to spread their wings and fly higher. So Marty had thrown a map in Greg's face, dotted with stars that connected with red lines. They would be going all over the country.

So, in that following winter, Greg found himself in the passenger seat of his van, tweaking a guitar and watching snow drift by his window. Marty was practically blazing down the road. Greg would have told him to slow it down—they could hardly see in front of them, for goodness sakes—but knew not to stick his hand in a fryer.

He had a lot to thank Marty for. His career, his dreams, financial stability…But Marty was a kind of prickly fellow. His temper was short, his patience shorter, and if Greg had more of a backbone, he'd say that Marty didn't even really do much. Marty's job was just to call ahead, maybe find a venue to perform, and sit back while Greg worked. And yeah, that was what a manager was supposed to do, but Greg was regretting that eighty-percent agreement.

"Greg, get your feet off the dash!"

Greg pulled them down without thinking. "Sorry!"

Marty scoffed—he did that often—and leaned over to scrub his sleeve where Greg's feet were. But it was already clean, so Greg wasn't sure what the problem was.

"This piece of junk is already falling apart," Marty snapped. "The least you could do is keep it clean."

"The car's fine, Marty, seriously." Greg readjusted the rearview mirror, now held together with duct tape. "We probably should have taken another look at the engine, though. You probably shouldn't have—"

"Excuse me?"

"We probably shouldn't have—"

" _Excuse me?"_

"I probably shouldn't have swiped that can off the side of the road and poured it into the tank."

"Exactly. See, Greg? Learn from your mistakes. Grow from them."

Greg just reached for the map again. The star they were aiming for marked Empire City. Admittedly, this was the first place Greg was actually nervous to perform. Empire City was  _the big league._ Making it here would be making it everywhere. How Marty had even gotten them a venue was beyond him. They'd be passing by Beach City soon, at this rate.

"You sure you know where we're going?" he asked Marty. "It's kind of hard to keep up with the road signs."

"Of course I know where I'm going," said Marty. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be driving."

"You can pull over and let me drive, if you want. I usually do."

"Not anymore. That scratch on the paint doesn't make for a good image."

"There's hardly anything there." Greg paused. "And it's my van, anyway."

"You're right, Greg. This is your van and your career and your success, so why am I even here? I'm just a freeloader."

"…I…Don't know where  _that_ came from, but—"

Marty jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Get me a drink from the back, will ya? All this sitting here is making me thirsty."

Greg sighed, but complied. Leaving his guitar behind him, he climbed between the seats to the back of the van. Marty used it as his bed while Greg used the passenger seat—another part of the eighty-percent deal—but neither of them had much stuff with them. They had about a box's worth of clothes each and a few miscellaneous whatevers, but almost all the rest was for "Mr. Universe." Sound equipment, boxes of T-shirts and CDs, and a few poster designs were crammed into every corner and cranny.

Greg reached for the cooler. They only had a few bottles of water and juice left.

But right when he reached for one, the car swerved.

Marty yelled something as the wheel twisted out of his control. He at least had something to hold onto, but Greg was tossed around like a ragdoll. A box of CDs crashed against his foot, another fell onto his chest.

But it was over as soon as it began. Greg just kind of lied on his back for a minute, trying to process what had just happened. It was Marty bashing his hand against the wheel that snapped Greg back to attention.

"Stupid piece of crud," he growled. "Can't handle a little bit of ice! Greg, see what's going on out there!"

Greg didn't protest. Throwing the back doors open, he winced against the icy cold that gusted in, but scrambled out anyway. The snow chilled right through his boots. Marty snapped at him to close the doors behind him, so he did.

The van had swerved off the road and almost into the trees. Miraculously, it looked perfectly fine. But now that it was down in the snow, Greg knew there was no way it was climbing back onto the road. He'd almost gotten a bag of salt for this very reason, but Marty had scolded him for being too much of a scaredy-cat. Not that Greg was planning on telling Marty "I told you so" anytime soon.

He climbed back into the van, shivering. Marty was playing a ping-pong game on his phone, and hardly looked up at Greg as he asked, "What's the verdict?"

"Car's fine," Greg replied, "But we're stuck here."

"Of course we are," Marty groaned. He twisted the keys in the ignition, but after a few sputters, there was silence. The van was caput. "How much you got on you?"

Greg reached into his back pocket. "Let's see, uh…Five bucks, a ten-dollar Billy Bob Burger's coupon, and two pennies. But one of the pennies has a mandolin on it because I had it pressed at that museum of music that was at our last town."

"I got nothing," Marty said without checking his pockets. "Listen, Starchild. It's going to take more than five-and-a-penny to get the van up and going. And I doubt this fish-town has an ATM in it. So you're going to have to scrounge up some cash quick."

Greg shifted on his knees. "I don't want to go door-to-door begging."

"So don't." Marty stretched a long leg over and nudged Greg's guitar over to him. "Earn it."

"What are you going to do?"

"Stay here and make sure the van doesn't get stolen."

"…That actually makes sense. Alright! I'll be back sooner than a shooting star!"

"Great." The second Greg's hand touched the handle of the door, Marty added, "And Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"No space metaphors unless it's in a song. We want assistance, not charity."

"Right. Cool. Okay."

* * *

Greg is about ten feet from the van when he realizes that he has made a terrible, terrible decision.

He already knows from a certain experience involving a cafe, an angry cook, and several kitchen knives that he can't just walk into an establishment and start performing for money. Nor can he do so outside of an establishment.

(This he learned via a different experience involving a laundromat, an angry laundromat worker, and several kitchen knives.)

He doesn't know where he would go to get the van towed is in this town, if it even had such a place. He didn't even know what they would charge for the service. All he can do, after several grueling minutes of sludging through a snow-covered road and finally entering the town proper, is perform outside.

Which is horrible, because 1) it's obviously very, very cold. 2) His fingers already feel numb. And 3) No one is walking around.

So, as he stands on a street corner, snowflakes drifting down around him, shivering so much his back started to ache, Greg realized that he was—for lack of a better word—janked. He only had two options. Stay on the corner and freeze to death, or go back to Marty empty-handed.

He started to pluck at his guitar strings.

The notes sounded quiet and lonely, not his intention. With no audio equipment and no one there to listen, the music seemed to just drift like the snowfall. Don't get him wrong, sad guitar music and snow is one nice aesthetic, but it wasn't very Mr. Universe-y. Even so, he couldn't belt out sick rock like this.

The second he opened his mouth to sing, the cold air seemed to suck itself down his throat.

 _"Some_  
_Say I don't have direction_  
_I'm just looking for distraction_  
_But that's just a knee-jerk reaction."_

"Comet" was probably one of his favorite songs he'd ever made. But this was going to be a different version, probably. The song didn't have as much effect when it was just a guitar and not a guitar, a stage, lights, effects, etc.

" _Still…I have nothing left to fear._  
_Even though it's not so clear_  
_where I go from here…_

_Life beyond the stars is my only home.  
Even though I walk down this path, confused and alone."_

Space theme! Bring up the mood.

" _But as soon as I hit the stage_  
_I know that everything will be okay._  
_And I know in my heart,_  
_It'll be worth it all of the while."_

Yes! Victory!

" _And as I write the words to another song_  
_I know that day will be coming along._  
_The going gets tough, but I'm sure_  
_it'll be worth it all in the end._

 _And as soon as I hit the stage_  
_I know that everything will be okay._  
_But that seems to be fading,_  
_that dream that I've had for so long."_

What?

" _And I'm sitting in the cold and the snow;  
I have no home, nowhere I can go."_

Greg, no—

" _But has no one been listening,  
has it just been me all along?"_

Don't get sad—

" _Where am I going?_  
_When am I going?_  
_What am I doing?_  
_What am I doing…?"_

—Greg don't cry your tears will freeze to your face and then you'll be blind you don't want to be blind Greg just sing a dang space song! —

"I'm listening."

Greg's eyes open. He hadn't even realized they had closed. Neither had he realized that his legs lost their strength and his knees are now cold with snow.

Neither had he realized that someone had been listening to him basically the whole time.

Greg looks up at them, then looks  _up_  at them, because  _wow_  this person is  _tall_. At least seven feet, maybe more. Greg thinks that they're also wearing a very, very bulky coat at first, but once he wipes half-frozen water from his eyes, he sees that it is in fact hair. A lot of hair. A lot of soft, pink, silky hair in many perfect ringlets.

The pink is a sharp contrast to the white dress, the hem of which is fluttering just a foot away from Greg's hand. The dress isn't very winter-friendly at all, either, so peachy-pink arms are left open to the cold air.

Even though it is snowing, the daytime sun is still shining. It is somewhere overheard, and its rays block out the woman's face. But Greg knows she's looking at him. A soft hand is half-raised in his direction, almost hesitant.

"What?" he asked dumbly.

"I'm listening," she repeated. Greg wasn't one to wax poetry, but for lack of better phrasing, the woman had a voice like honey. "So please don't be so sad. Oh, you must be freezing."

Greg is so confused and amazed that he almost misses how two hands are offered palm-up to him. He takes them, taking a moment to marvel in the near-illogical warmth of them, and looks up to the woman's face at last.

She's all soft curves and elegance, even though his face doesn't even reach her neck. Her eyes are black, but they're glittering. Her round lips are pink, not quite as dark as her hair, which frames her round face in gentle curls.

"What are you doing out here?" she asks when he says nothing. "Don't you know it's dangerous for you to get too cold?"

"I—uh—I'm sorry." Greg pulls his hands back reluctantly, but she just barely brings hers closer, like she's ready to take his again at any moment. "I wasn't...thinking. Really."

The woman looks down, then bends to pick something up. In any other moment, Greg would be kicking himself in his own teeth for dropping his guitar in the snow. But watching the woman shake the ice off, give the strings a hesitant strum, and smile, Greg doesn't mind.

"I heard you singing," she explained as she handed it back to him. "I haven't heard someone sing in person in so long, I got excited." Her smile faded. "But the words were so sad. I'm sorry you feel that way."

"What? Oh, no, I uh..." Greg coughed and dusted a clump of snow from his jeans. "I'm fine, really. I just had... _a moment_."

The woman nodded in total understanding. "I have moments, too. I find that talking about them helps. Would you like to talk about it?"

It isn't just the quiet, sweet, almost talking-to-a-child-like way she says it that makes him pause. It's the absolutely sincere look on her face. She's not being sarcastic in the slightest. He doesn't even know what her name is, and she's inviting him to vent out to her.

"That's really sweet of you," Greg says. Then he sputters, "I mean— _kind_  of sweet of you. I  _mean_ —ugh—that's  _kind_  of you! But...I'm fine. Nothing Mr. Universe can't handle."

The woman's eyes lit up. "'Mr. Universe'?"

"Yep!" Greg tilted his guitar upwards. Even in the very dull sunlight, the silver-star stickers on the front glimmered. "'Above-average rockstar on the outside, child of the stars on the inside.' It's like my backstory, y'know?"

Her lips were tilted upwards in an amused smirk. "Alright then, Mr. Universe. What are you doing here in the snow? It'd be a shame if your 'celestial form' caught a cold."

In quite a bold move, she reached out and popped up his jacket collar. The thin denim didn't really warm up his cheeks any, but the blood rushing up to his face sure did. He almost didn't answer her.

"Well—" His voice cracked. He coughed and tried to cover it up with a smile. "I guess you could say that my space-train got derailed by the snow, and my extra-terrestrial companion and I are stuck until I make enough celestial currency for a galactical hand to pull us out of the stardust."

The woman's eyebrows shot upwards to her hairline. "You are your friend were in your van and you veered off the road, and now you're singing until you're given enough money so you can pay someone to pull you out of the snow and to a repair shop?"

Greg paused. "My space-themed metaphors aren't as clever as I thought."

"You poor thing," she sighed. Then her eyes lit up with a newfound determination, and she almost barked, "Show me where your vehicle is!"

"Oh! Uh—Look, don't worry about it! I don't want to take up your time—"

"You can't stay out here like this," she insisted. "Your body is fragile. The frost will bite your fingers if you stay out here much longer!"

Ignoring the unique phrasing, Greg flexed his fingers. They  _were_  pretty numb, yet kind of burning at the same time. His toes felt like he was standing on needles, too, same with his ears. This really was a dumb idea.

"Do you have a truck you can pull us out with?" he asked. "Or, do you mean you want to pay for a handyman? Because I'll say 'yeah, thanks' to the first, and 'no way' to the second."

"Neither." She winked at him. "I have my own ways. I just need you to show me how to get there."

"Okay, sure." Greg slung his guitar behind him and looked down the street. He could just barely make out his footprints in the snow. "Just follow me _-heh_!"

Greg's words were choked when his legs gave out from underneath him. Just one step forward caused a great shock of prickling pain. The mystery-woman was there in an instant, grabbing a fistful of his jacket from the back while pressing her other hand to his chest.

Even squatting helplessly was making his feet burn. When he met the woman's eyes again, they were wide and round and almost fearful.

"We have to hurry! Your body can't take much more of this. Here, let me."

Greg wasn't sure what he expected her to do. But he sure wasn't expecting her to suddenly lift him up bridal-style with the ease of a knife through warm butter. There was no space between them now, and all Greg could see was pink curls, peachy skin, and glittering eyes. He was nothing short of amazed.

He coughed. "You're strong."

"Thank you! I'm sure you're strong, too, just in the non-physical sense. Now, where's your friend?"

* * *

The van hasn't moved an inch since Greg left, yet, to his curiosity, there's a black motorcycle propped up beside it when he returns. The woman never so much as breaks a sweat the whole walk there. She just keeps Greg in her arms her feet moving through the snow, occasionally glancing down to smile at him.

"Is this the space-train?" she asks. It's a joke—'Mr. Universe' is printed on the van's side in ever-vivid colors.

"Off the tracks," Greg agrees. "Here, you can let me down. Marty probably doesn't want to be surprised."

The woman reluctantly places him down on his feet. Her hands hover around him as if he would drop at any second, but she lets Greg go to the back doors.

He knocks first. "Marty? I'm back."

No response. Something thuds inside the van.

"I didn't get money, but I got help."

Something else moves, but that's it.

"Marty, come on, man...It's cold out here, we're freezing."

He waits a good ten seconds, and then he just sighs. The woman doesn't seem miffed by the situation at all, but he still feels his face burn in annoyance and embarrassment as he reaches for the handle. It's unlocked, at least, and Greg pulls the door open with the full expectation of seeing Marty asleep in the bed.

"You really need a better sleep sched—OH MY—EUGH!"

Greg reels back from the van in disgust. His eyes literally feel like they need bleaching. He hears groans and yells of annoyance, but it's all just background noise. His whole body is recovering from a shock-induced heat flash.

The woman is still there; he can see him from the corner of his eye. He probably should have turned down her offer with more determination. That would have spared him the utter, soulcrushing, 'sweet-embrace-of-death-take-me-now' shame he felt at this moment.

"I am so, so sorry," he groans. "You could be doing literally anything else in the world, and I subject you to  _this_..."

"It's perfectly fine, don't worry!" Her smile is far too genuine for the situation. "I understand what is happening. Perhaps we should close the doors and wait until they are finished?"

 _Wow,_  Greg thinks.  _I can't tell if she's really composed or really oblivious._

He didn't spend too much time lingering on it. The doors creaked wide open, and there Marty was. His platinum hair was tousled up in messy spikes, and he's frowning so deeply, it's almost a snarl.

The woman with him looks more tired than annoyed. She's really pretty, but Greg can tell just by looking at her that she's very laidback. Her wild hair, honey-blond and going all the way down to the backs of her knees, fluffs up to a point above her head. Despite the freezing weather, she's just wearing a violet sweater and high-waisted jeans.

"Starchild," spits Marty. "Did your mother not teach you any manners?"

"Not in this, bless her soul," mutters Greg.

Marty's eyes go to the woman beside Greg. They grow wider as they keep going  _up_  and  _up_  until he has to lean out of the van to get a look at her face. She waves at him in greeting.

"Who are you?" asks Marty.

"I'm Rose Quartz—"  _Like the rock?_  Greg thinks. "—and Mr. Universe told me you two needed help. Are either of you hurt? Do you need something to eat or drink?"

Before Marty could answer—no doubt with something snarky—Greg waved a hand at the other woman and asked, "Who's this?"

"This is Vidalia." Marty threw an arm over her shoulders, to which she only responded by popping bubblegum Greg didn't know she was chewing. "She was 'cycling on the road; popped in to see what the deal was."

Three thoughts go through Greg's head. First: 'Isn't Vidalia a type of onion?' Second: 'You legally changed your last name to Universe. Don't judge.' Third, which he voiced: "You were on your motorcycle in this weather?"

Her purple eyelids blinked slowly at him. "I'm cold-blooded. Don't worry."

Rose Quartz reached over and put a hand on Greg's shoulder. He didn't know why at first, but then he realized she was pushing him forward. She didn't stop until he had climbed into the back of the van, next to Marty and Vidalia. Marty's nose wrinkled at the tight fit.

"I'm going to help," Rose Quartz said in a firm tone. "You three just sit here and try to warm up as much as you can."

She reached to close the door, and Vidalia piped up, "What about my motorcycle?"

Rose Quartz looked over and walked away. Greg heard a shuffle, a creak, and before anyone was ready, the motorcycle was being pushed into the van. Greg, Marty, and Vidalia scampered away, clambering into the front seats.

Rose Quart'z face popped up behind the back wheel. She was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Don't worry! I've got it."

With that, she shut the doors. Greg didn't even realize it, but his foot was propped against the handlebars.

Marty looked down and groaned. The slush on the wheels was soaking into the sheets of the bed. "You can take the bed tonight, Starchild."

Greg glowered back at him. "Uh, yeah, no. After what I just saw, I'd rather burn it."

He was fully prepared for a sharp reprimand, but he never had to worry about it. The van suddenly lurched, and Greg couldn't help the yelp that came from his mouth. The motorcycle rolled forward for just a second, and Greg pushed his feet back against it. Vidalia squeezed her legs around her seat and a hand around Greg's arm. Marty was doing the same, except he'd grabbed a handful of Greg's mane instead.

The van steadied, but not completely. It was rocking ever-so-slightly, never quite still, and it sort of bounced in a one-two-one-two rhythm.

"Okay," grunted Marty. "What is your rock-roadie doing?"

" _Don't_ ," snapped Greg. He patted a hand against Marty's back. "And scooch over."

Marty didn't protest, but moving past him was a feat. The windows were almost opaque with frost and snow, and rolling the driver's window down, Greg shivered against the cold blast that came with it. Not that the inside of the van was particularly warm, but still.

Greg leaned out of the window, and immediately wished he hadn't.

The van was about seven feet above the ground. Not a huge drop, but vans weren't supposed to be  _any_  feet above the ground. And they were moving, too, at a steady trot down the road.

"Rose Quartz?" Greg called out. "Where are you?"

"Down here," she called from below.

Sweet stars and galaxies, she was carrying the van.

Greg had already come to the conclusion that Rose Quartz was...quite the woman. Seven feet tall, impervious to the cold, and exceptionally kind. 'Outrageously strong' was now officially thrown in there, too.

(Not that Greg was complaining. Not at  _all_.)

It was just that the van was about eight feet in the air. Which may not seem like much, but a van shouldn't be  _one_  foot in the air, so…yeah. Greg buckled in his seatbelt.

* * *

The "ride" took longer than Greg would have expected it to. He also had no idea why Rose Quartz was taking them to the beach, far past the roads. It wasn't exactly the ideal place for a repair shop.

Still, if it meant getting away from Vidalia and Marty's snogging, he'd take it.

The van finally settled on the ground with surprising gentleness. The doors opened, and Rose Quartz appeared, smiling as wide as ever. She grabbed the motorcycle, tugged it out, and beckoned them forward.

"Come on," she told them. "Don't be shy!"

Marty clambered out first, followed by Vidalia. Greg went ahead and grabbed a scarf on the way out.

"Okay," Marty grunted. "We're going to need at least a hundred dollars, of which we may have one-eighty-sixth. So, if you ladies would be so kind as to grant us...some...charity..." Marty's voice trailed off before snapping, "What  _is_  this place?"

Greg finally landed on his feet, but it certainly wasn't on the parking lot of a repair shop. It was the sand of the beach, spotted with patches of white snow, at the mouth of an almost box-shaped cave. Greg couldn't tell if it was natural, the way the glimmering walls formed perfect corners and angles, but the door on the far wall certainly wasn't. It had a big, white star with five gemstones—red, blue, pink, white, and purple—at each point. Plus, there was a big, crystalline platform with neat little steps in front of it.

Greg looked up and...Oh, the place was framed by giant, stone hands. And oh, there were more hands on the sand, and up maybe twenty feet in the air, and  _oh_ , this entire cliffside was a giant woman with two faces and eight arms and this wasn't weird at all! No. Noooo...

Rose Quartz easily replied, "I thought you would all like a place to stay while your vehicle is being repaired!"

Marty's lips pulled back in a sneer that bared the absurdly sharp tips of his teeth. "This place doesn't look like it has  _running water_! We're supposed to get our car fixed here?"

"Oh, trust me," giggled Rose Quartz. "My friend is very capable of repairing your vehicle, free of charge!"

Marty paused. "Free?"

Vidalia stepped forward, almost shoving Marty with her shoulder. She had her hands on her arms, rubbing them for warmth. "You're very charitable. But I thought you were going to take us someplace a little less...freezing?"

Rose's smile instantly turned into a frown. Her hands flew up to her cheeks. "Oh! That's right, I can't believe I forgot! You three stay here, I'll be right back!"

She hurried to the door, and Greg couldn't even tell what she did. He just saw a great pink flash, and then she was gone. Leaving him alone with Vidalia and Marty.

"Okay, Starchild." Marty threw a lanky arm around Greg's shoulder. "Your lady-friend is giving me some good vibes, but they're almost  _too_  good. She's trying to get something out of us, I can feel it."

Greg's brows furrowed. He suddenly felt very defensive. "Like what?"

"I've been seeing the way she's been seeing you, kid; I'm seeing what you're not seeing. She wants you."

Heat flashed across Greg's skin, hot and quick and sudden. "What?" he almost screeched.

"She sees your talent, kid."  _Oh, thank goodness,_  Greg thought. "Look, I'm just guessing that you were playing, and she heard you, right?" Greg nodded. "So she knows how good you are. She's heard the forbidden fruit we've been trying to keep from rotting."

Greg stared at him.

"She's going to try to get you, kid! Just think about it. First it starts off with fussing and babying and fixing the van for free. Then one day, she's going to subtly mention over a card game that she's looking for someone to sing in her band. And you're going to think back to all those nice little things she did, and you're going to just feel  _so_  guilty that you'll do it. And one gig leads to another, then another, 'til you've got yourself a whole new tour with a whole new manager and poor old me is left behind without a penny."

Vidalia—who, despite her shivering, had taken a seat on one of the steps and was now repainting her nails with black polish—piped up, "You're already without a penny."

Marty threw her a sharp glare, but Greg butted in, "Don't you think that she's maybe being nice because...she's nice? That there's no ulterior motive and she's just a normal person?"

Marty snorted. "I don't know what planet you're on now, kid, but 'a normal person' can't deadlift a van."

 _Fair enough,_  Greg admitted to himself. He still felt a little too annoyed at Marty's paranoia, though he couldn't tell why.

Then again...Greg had to admit, this whole thing was getting a bit  _too_  odd for him. Rose Quartz was about seven feet tall, with pink hair, and a navel piercing so big there wasn't even a navel anymore. He was not complaining about that at all. Then she carried a van, a motorcycle, and three grown adults over her head without breaking a sweat. Flabbergasting, but nothing to hold against her. But this huge, ancient temple that she just disappeared into? Greg had heard of it before—his aunt and uncle, Andy's parents, actually had an old barn around here, probably a little drive back—but they'd never implied that anyone was actually inside it.

"Regardless," Greg huffed, "We're just going to get the van fixed, for  _free_ , and then that's it. I already signed with you, remember? I'm not going anywhere."

"Hey, ladies?" Vidalia snapped her fingers. "I'm not the only one looking at the laser show, right?"

Greg and Marty both followed her pointing hand. The platform before the door, which Greg thought to have been for aesthetic before, was now shooting shimmering blue light towards the roof of the cave. Undefined shapes warped and shifted behind the bright curtain, and Greg realized that it was actually forming a person.

And then they were there, just a second later, in what Greg thought was an impressive feat of effects. Greg honestly couldn't tell how old she was, because she looked like she just barely came up to his chest, but she didn't look like a kid by any means. She was wearing spandex shorts and a tank top with a scarlet thunderbolt pattern on her chest. Her hair was thick and dark and halved by a striped sweatband that matched those on her wrists and ankles.

She was also red. Not like, out-of-breath red, or blushing-shyly red. Like, cherry-tomato-strawberry-some-other-kind-of-red-fruit red.

The lights and lasers faded away, and when her eyes fell on them, they went about as wide as saucers. Her hands, limp at her sides, suddenly pulled to her chest. She stumbled backwards until her back hit the door, and slapped a hand against it.

"Rose?" she whispered. She slapped it again. "Rose...? Roooose?" She hit it over and over and over. "Rooooooooooooooooooose?!"

"Are you okay?" snapped Marty. He was rubbing his long fingers together for warmth.

Her lips snapped shut as soon as he spoke, as if he'd growled at her. She looked between them all in turn before smiling a very scared smile.

"Hey," she greeted in a slow and careful voice. "What are you guys doing here?"

Vidalia popped a bubble of gum. She'd moved on to her other fingers with the polish. "Rooooooose brought us here." She nodded at Marty and Greg. "She's fixing their van."

Marty seemed intent to just ignore the stranger, but Greg at least tried to give her a smile and a wave. "You're a friend of Rose Quartz's, right? You, uh...You work here?"

She didn't even blink at him for a long moment. Greg actually thought she hadn't blinked since she'd seen them. "Yep. This is our...working-place. Hey, do you guys want something to eat?"

Marty glanced up at her. "What, you guys got some hors d'oeuvres, or something?"

Her brows furrowed at him, and though she said nothing, Greg could read a slow "hors d'oeuvres...?" on her lips. But then she straightened herself up, smiling wider and with just a little less fear, and said, "Here!"

She held a hand up, and Greg saw, with a mix of confusion and awe, a gemstone piercing just like Rose Quartz's in her palm. Though hers was red, the facet square. Greg had never seen a palm-piercing before. He didn't know that was a thing.

He also didn't know that they had LED palm-piercings that lit up on command. Or that they had LED palm-piercings capable of holding bags of Chaaaps that were bigger than the actual piercing.

She threw the bag at them, football-style, and it landed at Greg's feet. He, Marty, and Vidalia both stared at it for just a second before slowly lifting their eyes back to the stranger. Marty was looking less angry and more confused by the second.

The grin she was giving him was encouraging in an uncomfortably tender way, like a kindergarten teacher trying to get a kid to play with blocks, or something. Her voice sounded much the same. "There! You guys just eat that and...stay there!"

Then she was hammering her fist on the door again. "Rose-Rose-Rose-Rose-Rose-Rose-Rose!"

Instead of the door, the platform lit up, the same as it had done before. Greg's interest was starting to melt away into wariness. He wasn't really looking forward to meeting the next member of the rainbow-rock-gang.

The person that appeared this time was like Ruby in that she was quite short, but not very childish. But that's where all similarities stopped. This person's hair was long, almost to her feet, bright blue, very thick, with a black bow tied above her head. Her bangs were long enough to cover her eyes and her nose, so all Greg could see were full lips. She was wearing a dress with a cobalt skirt, and the corner of it had a stylized poodle on it, like something Greg's mother would have worn in highschool. Fingerless white gloves, a leathery dark jacket, necklaces of beads in gray and white—Greg couldn't exactly tell what aesthetic she was going for.

She was also blue. Not like, running-out-of-breath blue, or getting-too-cold blue. Like, water-sky-robin's-egg-some-other-literally-blue-thing blue.

She didn't even get to react to the company before the red stranger sprang forward and hid practically behind her skirts. "Sapphy, look out! Humans!"

Her reaction was almost non-existent save for standing up a little bit straighter. She reached behind her and put a small hand atop her friend's hair, almost absentmindedly, and asked them with much more civility, "Why are you here?"

"Rose brought them here," whispered her friend. That is, she was probably  _trying_  to whisper, but Greg and the others could hear every word. "Why did she bring  _three_  of them here?"

"I don't know," 'Sapphy' whispered back. "I thought we talked about this..."

"Excuse me?" When he spoke, the two of them whipped their heads to Greg. He felt an urge to step back and put distance between the three of them. "Um...Rose Quartz brought us here, but if you guys aren't cool with this, I could go into town and find an actual—"

Marty's hand slapped over Greg's lips. He would have licked it out of pure annoyance, if he had been sure that Marty's hands weren't carrying a cesspool of germs.

"Rosie said she'd fix up our ride for free," he told them. "So we'll just let that happen, and then we'll be out of your hair, okay?"

The two didn't say anything in response. Vidalia raised a brow at her...boyfriend? significant other?...and told him, "Hey, why exactly am I here?"

Marty waved a hand around in the air. "Do you see a door anywhere? You're free to go whenever."

"I'm not complaining," she quipped back. "Just curious. My cycle's fine."

Fate had a cruel sense of humor, because of course, Vidalia's motorcycle decided to just tip over and crash against the sand for no reason besides bad timing. The front light shattered on impact, sprinkling glass to the snow.

Vidalia popped another bubble of gum and droned, "Sweet. Hey, Starkid, can you get your girlfriend to give me a freebie, too?"

Greg huffed through his nose, letting out a cloud of steam. He tugged his scarf higher up his nose. "She's not my girlfriend. We literally  _just_  met today."

Marty plopped down next to Vidalia on the stony steps leading into the cave. "So did we."

Greg frowned. "And you're boyfriend-and-girlfriend?"

Vidalia and Marty looked at one another, and neither said anything for a stretch. Then, almost in unison, they gave long, drawn-out "ehhhh" sounds, followed by a mumble of "I guess", "We'll see", "Doubt it", and "Not concrete."

Greg had forgotten about the two strangers for just a moment; they were watching the humans (and Greg didn't know why the red one had called them humans when she was one herself but whatever) without moving. The red one was gripping a handful of the blue one's skirt.

The two of them both jumped when the door lit up behind him. Greg just barely caught a glimpse of a vague, rose-like symbol sparkling over the star before the door just went away entirely.

Rose Quartz practically danced back into the room with her arms full. She had a pack of juice boxes, three oranges, and several metal heaters with their extension cords dangling in front of her knees.

Seeing the two new faces, she smiled. "Hey, you two! Back already?"

Neither of them really answered. The red one jabbed a finger at Greg, Vidalia, and Marty and not-really-whispered, "Rose, why did you bring them here?"

"We made that sign for the fence," agreed the blue one. With bitterness, she mumbled, "I used glitter stickers..."

"Their vehicle broke down," Rose Quartz replied. She didn't shove past them, but once she stepped forward, they just stepped aside for her. "It's freezing out there, and they needed help!"

"Yeah, but here?" The red one cocked her head to the side. "What did you do to the fence, anyway?"

Greg tipped his head back. He could see a bit of a stretch of the beach that they had come in from, Rose Quartz's footsteps still visible in the snow and sand. There was a chain-link fence a ways down, but part of it was flat on the ground.

"It doesn't matter." Rose Quartz held up the stuff in her hands. "You guys need to treat them kindly. This is their planet we're on, isn't it?"

Sapphy's head turned from her to the humans. She pointed at Greg. "It's that one, isn't it?"

"Sapphire," Rose Quartz hissed.

"He has a guitar," the red one whispered in agreement. "You know how she is about music."

Sapphy (Sapphire?) sighed. "Hook, line, and sinker..."

"Okay!" Rose Quartz stood straight up and spun around with a sort of angry chipperness. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves? Mr. Universe, Vidalia, Marty, this is Ruby and Sapphire."

Ruby…and Sapphire…Greg was catching a theme. But how these guys were connected, he couldn't tell. Roommates? A band? A cult…?

_Oh, please don't let it be a cult, not again…_

Marty took the names with a little less subtlety. "Ruby, Sapphire, and Rose Quartz? You got anyone else you want us to meet? An Amethyst, maybe?"

Ruby and Sapphire blanched. Rose Quartz tipped her head at them to whisper, "Irony."

Marty tipped his head at Greg to whisper, "Lunacy."

Rose Quartz stepped forward. "I got you all some snacks! They're not warm, but they're nutritious!"

She handed a juice box and orange to Marty. "For you…!"

She handed a juice box and orange to Greg. "For you…!" She paused. Greg got a second juice box.

She handed the last juice box and orange to Vidalia. "And for you!"

Vidalia kind of wrinkled her nose at the fruit. "Thanks, but uh…Oranges don't really float my boat."

"Oh!" Rose Quartz reached down to her navel piercing. It lit up bright, just as Ruby's had, and then she was holding a bundle of grapes instead. "How about these?"

Vidalia paused, blinked, and took them. "Cool, thanks."

"So, listen." Marty knocked a hand against the van, right over the "N" in "Universe". "Can we get started on that free repair already?"

"Well, we would," said Rose Quartz, "but the only one of us with the skills is out right now."

Marty blinked. "So, now what?"

"Now we can just keep each other company! It's been so long since we've had humans over! Let's talk."

She waved Ruby and Sapphire over, but they didn't budge. She waved again. Not even an inch. Rose Quartz eventually just sighed, marched over, and pushed them forward with their heels digging ruts into the ground.

Sapphire was pushed to Marty, Ruby to Greg, and Rose Quartz plopped down next to Vidalia. For a long while, there was just the sound of Rose Quartz's excited babbling, and Vidalia's mumbled responses.

Greg twiddled his thumbs and turned to Ruby. She was staring a hole into the sand. Her fingers were clasped together , her shoulders hunched forward.

"So…" Greg cleared his throat. "I like your gem…?"

"Thanks," she mumbled. "I like your…uh…skin…"

 _Well, this isn't going downhill,_ thought Greg.  _It was never uphill to begin with!_

"You have a guitar."

Greg followed Ruby's gaze to the open doors of the van. His guitar was still propped up against the backseat, and he crawled in to retrieve it. Ruby looked surprised that he did.

"Here she is." Greg strummed a few strings. Ruby seemed to lean forward at the sound. "You play?"

"Uh…" Ruby twisted her sweatband back and forth across her forehead. "No. I just know what it is."

"Do you…want to learn?"

"Are you offering, or asking?"

"Both. Here, take it."

Ruby shrank back the second he held it out to her, but still, her fingers clasped around the neck. She sat down next to him above the bumper, and with a bit of Greg's readjusting, held the guitar against her chest with both hands.

"Okay. You tighten these things to tune the guitar." Greg reached over and twisted a tuning peg at the end. "Makes it sound different. It'll make different sounds depending on where you pluck it." He plucked the D string at one spot, then again at another. "That's the bare essentials. Give it a strum."

Ruby plucked three notes, a quick  _dum-dum-twang_ , then again with four notes. Then four, then five. Greg couldn't help but think that maybe she had just a little bit of experience already. Within a minute, she'd made a pattern of ten notes to repeat, over and over. While she played, Greg looked over to Vidalia and Rose Quartz.

Vidalia had one of Rose Quartz's hands in hers and was brushing coal-black polish on her fingernails. It did not at all match the otherwise pink pallet, but Rose Quartz didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she looked very delighted.

"Are you from around here?" she asked.

Vidalia nodded. "I live in town. You from around here?"

"Not even remotely," chirped Rose Quartz.

Vidalia dipped the brush back into the bottle, but after several times of pulling it in and out, gave up with a sigh. "I'm out. Sorry."

"Oh, don't worry! I can do it myself."

And Greg didn't know how she did it, but with just a quick glimmer of her fingers, the rest of her nails had turned black as well. Vidalia's eyebrows shot up her forehead, impressed.

Sapphire was having a…less enjoyable time with Marty.

"So," he was saying, with that shark-toothed grin that was practically dripping with slime. "You come here often?"

Sapphire was sitting on the ground with her hands politely folded over her skirts. But her lips were curled in disgust. "I live here."

"I like your getup." Greg had to stop himself from cringing into a ball when Marty reached down and pinched a bunny-ear of Sapphire's bow between his fingers. "You got style."

Sapphire reached up, grabbed his hand, and pushed it back to him. "I agree."

"You know, I'd think you'd look a lot nicer if you smiled."

"You'd sound a lot nicer if you stopped talking."

Vidalia snapped, "Hell- _o_?"

The glare she gave Marty was sharp and full of warning, but in turn, he only raised a brow at her. "Hey."

Then he turned right back to Sapphire with that stupid slimy smile. "Why don't you keep your hair out of your eyes? I'm sure they're just  _lovely."_

Greg couldn't stomach it anymore. Sapphire couldn't, either, and with a huff, she shoved back her bangs from her face. But neither Greg nor Marty (nor Vidalia, but she just busted out laughing) were expecting to see not two eyes, but one, cornflower blue and glaring at Marty with the heat of fire.

Marty reeled back until he was standing on his feet. His face was twisted with horror and fear and disgust, and his voice nearly cracked as he snapped, "When does your friend get here?"

"Soon," Rose Quartz chirped back. Vidalia had pulled out a deck of cards from her back pocket and was trying to teach the pink-haired woman how to play Go Fish properly.

 _I hope so,_ Greg thought to himself. As if the awkward atmosphere weren't already suffocating enough, it was getting too cold to bear much longer. Vidalia and Marty at least had the sense to bundle up in layers and scarves and gloves. The three others didn't seem to mind the cold much, anyway. Greg's ears, nose, fingers, and toes felt like they were about to fall off.

He rubbed his hands together just to get some friction, and Ruby—who had progressed to fifteen notes, almost a song—stopped playing. "What's wrong?"

"I'm stupid and cold, that's what. I knew I should've gotten gloves back at that department store, but  _nooooo_ , I  _had_ to get the aviators. It's winter, Universe…"

If Ruby was annoyed by his rambling, she didn't say so. In fact, she shrugged off the guitar and held both of her hands out palms-up. "Here, I can help."

Greg normally would've insisted he was fine, but he wasn't, so he put his hands in hers. She lifted them upwards below her chin, and Greg thought for just a second that she was about to do that thing he saw in movies, where you put someone's hands together and breathe in-between them. It was a kind gesture, but not exactly something you would do for someone you just met.

Maybe Ruby knew that, because she didn't. Instead, she just breathed out like she was blowing out a candle. Greg was far past asking questions at this point, but he was still surprised by the  _heat_ in her breath—it was practically steam. The cloud it left in the frigid air was almost opaque.

"That good?" she asked after a minute.

Greg stuffed his hands under his armpits, like it would trap the warmth. "Yeah," he breathed in relief. "Thanks."

Ruby looked past his face. "What about your ears? They're almost as red as me."

"Uh…Yeah, I mean, I should have gotten earmuffs—"

"Hold on."

And then Greg was getting a full blast of heat right into his face. Tears sprang to his eyes, his hair tousled, but he didn't protest.

He was vaguely aware that Rose Quartz had paused her card game to watch them. He hadn't considered how weird it must have looked, a person blowing air right into another person's face, but it wasn't confusion that took over her face. It was realization, then terrible, terrible guilt.

"It's  _freezing,"_ she suddenly cried.

Sapphire—who now had a ring of frost around her dress-skirt, which Greg somehow didn't notice before—pointed a finger at Marty and snapped, "His fault!"

"What? No. I forgot why I went inside in the first place!"

Rose Quartz set her cards aside and reached for the metal heaters stacked up behind her. In her defense, it seemed that everyone had forgotten about them, but no one looked nearly as upset as she did.

"I'm terrible at this," she sighed. "Can't even have a nice conversation with humans without putting them in danger." She set one heater beside Vidalia, another beside Marty, and three small ones around Greg. "We'll warm you all up in no time!"

"May I ask a question?" snipped Marty.

"Sure," said Rose Quartz, at the same time Sapphire said, "No."

Marty jabbed a finger at his heater. "You got any plug-ins anywhere?"

Ruby frowned. "What's a plug-in?"

"We don't," replied Rose Quartz, "but we have other ways. Ruby?"

Ruby glanced down at Greg's heaters warily. Her shoulders hunched forward again. "That's not how it works, Rose."

Rose Quartz rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling when she said, "Sapphire?"

When she raised her eyes to her, Rose Quartz tipped her head in Ruby's direction. She and Sapphire locked eyes, then both laughed in somewhat embarrassed understanding. Sapphire pushed herself up to her feet and tidied her bangs at the same time. Ruby left Greg with his guitar.

The two walked forward to where the ground was the least crowded. Both raised their arms beside their heads, their eyes closed as if in meditation. Ruby's gem lit up scarlet, and Sapphire's, which lied in her opposite palm, went cobalt. A small gloved hand and a thick red one joined together.

And just when Greg thought that whatever was about to happen was going to be serious in any way, the two broke out in huge smiles and started spinning in a circle. Then they were doing an arm-flinging, leg-kicking dance like the Charleston, side-by-side, laughing silently, and Greg couldn't help but smile himself.

Ruby took Sapphire's hand, and she spun closer and closer to Ruby until they were chest-to-chest. Arms intertwined behind their heads, they waltzed together like one person. Then Greg couldn't look anymore, not through the blinding white light that consumed the two dancers and the purplish flash that followed.

When he opened his eyes again, Ruby and Sapphire gone, and someone else had taken their place. Probably as tall as Rose Quartz, give or take a few inches. Her skin was a sort of reddish-brown color and her eyes were hidden by very reflective shades. She was very well-built, a fact that was not at all a secret with her black tights.

There were a few things on her that made Greg pause. Like her thick, almost cubic dark hair. Or her full lips. Or her full sleeves. Or the lightning pattern on her chest. Or the gemstones on her pal—

_Did Greg just witness two people combining into one person._

The stranger, the amalgamation ignored the hanging jaws and wide eyes. She just waltzed over and pressed a hand to Vidalia's heater. Little bright wires of electricity zapped between her fingers, and then the machine was blasting hot air all on its own. "For you," the stranger told Vidalia.

She did the same for Marty's heater, but with her foot. By kicking it and leaving it behind. "For you."

Then she tapped all of Greg's one, two, three. "And for you."

"I'm not dreaming, right?" asked Greg. "Like, this isn't a cold-induced hallucination?"

She patted him on the shoulder. "We're all real here, Mr. Universe."

Marty sucked in a deep breath of air through his nose. He grabbed his heater, spun around on his heel, and went to the front door of the van. "Okay. This got gross. I'm taking a nap; just wake me up when the mechanic gets here."

Vidalia huffed. "Does being bitter all the time not exhaust you?"

"I'm a powerhouse, babe. A bitter powerhouse."

"Has anyone ever smiled at you?"

The door slammed shut. Vidalia re-shuffled the cards with a very heated speed.

The platform lit up for the fourth time. Greg had mixed feelings about it.

She was taller than Rose Quartz and the Ruby-Sapphire combination, definitely. Eight feet tall, at least. Greg did not feel so much surprise anymore when he noted the lavender skin and snow white hair. Her clothes looked like they belonged on a ballerina, or a yoga expert. Purple tights, aqua leotard, gossamer tutu…Right down to the white leg warmers. And, of course, a gemstone, glimmering pastel colors in the middle of her chest.

She had four arms. Just to get that out of the way.

"Okay," she sighed. "I know we said we wanted go take care of that Centipeetle problem, but I'm sorry, that mama is too big for these hands and I'm going to need some backup before—What's going on?"

The person beside Greg, with a hand still on his shoulder, explained almost in one breath. "This is Mr. Universe, the one inside the van is Marty, and the one sitting by Rose is Vidalia. Marty and Mr. Universe's van is broken and we need you to fix it. Vidalia's motorcycle light needs replacing. Marty and Mr. Universe are friends. Vidalia and Marty are together. Vidalia and Mr. Universe are good. Marty is bad."

Greg didn't know what else to do, so he just waved. "Hi."

She blinked her very, very blue eyes, then narrowed them at Rose Quartz. "We made a  _sign_!"

"Pleeeeease, Opal?" Rose Quartz clasped her hands together. "It'll only take a couple of minutes!"

She huffed. "If I open that hood and I find out that you took out the battery again, I swear on my Gem, Rose, I will never let you so much as look at another human again."

"Really?"

"…Probably."

Opal looked over at the combination-fusion-mix-up-mash-up-person and raised a brow. Behind her silvery bangs, Greg just then noticed a shining white stone in the middle of her forehead. So…She was also a combination-fusion-mix-up-mash-up-person, he guessed.

"What are you doing here?" Opal asked.

It was like hitting an 'off' button. The hand on Greg's shoulder melted away, there was another purple flash, and Ruby and Sapphire had returned.

Ruby ended up landing inside the van, however, and shuffled away from Marty. "We were just—electrocuting…"

"Electrifying," Sapphire corrected. And then she corrected herself with, "Energizing. Powering. The humans were cold."

"Okay, okay." Opal rolled her eyes. She walked off the platform and down to the sand in long, elegant strides, all tip-toe. "Geez, you guys always get so defensive about Garnet."

"We're not defensive," defended Sapphire.

Ruby crawled closer to the doors of the van and stopped beside Greg. "Can I keep playing guitar?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." Greg slipped the strap over her head, and Ruby went back to plucking and twanging. She was an unusually quick learner. Greg was impressed.

Opal reached up to the Gem in her forehead and pulled out a socket wrench. She turned to say something to Rose Quartz, but stopped when Sapphire tugged on her tights. So Opal ended up not saying anything, just bent down and let the blue Gem crawl up her back until her arms were around her neck.

Opal walked to the front of the van. Her lower arms were folded behind her back for Sapphire to stand on.  _That's…weirdly adorable,_ Greg mused. Marty didn't even open his eyes when the hood popped open and concealed Sapphire and Opal from sight.

Rose Quartz beckoned Greg over. He left Ruby with the guitar and sat down beside her on the steps of the cave. At the same time, Vidalia stood up and went to Marty's window of the van. She said something, and Marty snarked back, and then the two were arguing about something that Greg couldn't make out.

"So, do you feel better?" asked Rose Quartz.

"Yeah," he said. But then he asked, "Wait, what do you mean?"

She waved a hand. "You're warmer, and you're…" Her eyes glanced down, and before Greg could stop her, she'd dug the juice box out of his pocket, stabbed the straw inside, and pushed it to him. "You're fed. You have people to talk to. Do you feel better?"

A lightbulb went off over Greg's head. "Is that why you brought me here? You wanted me to feel better?"

She didn't even deny it. She nodded hard enough to make her curls bounce around her shoulders. "You sounded so sad when you were singing…I thought this would help. Did it?"

"Uh…It got my mind off things for a bit, so…Yeah. Yeah, actually!"

Rose Quartz looked positively delighted by this, and Greg ducked his head to hide his burning cheeks. He pulled a length of his hair over his shoulder, something he hadn't done for a while.

"You're really kind, you know?" Rose Quartz leaned forward to hear him better. "I mean, not everyone meets strangers and then tries to cheer them up. It's really…uh…selfless, I guess?"

"No, I was being a little selfish." Greg frowned, and Rose Quartz curled her finger at him. They leaned into each other, sharing a secret, and she whispered, "I kind of wanted to talk to you more before you left."

"Oh!" Greg sat straight maybe a bit too quickly. Rose Quartz was still smiling. "Cool! Cool-cool! I wanted to talk to too you! I mean—to too! I mean—ugh—you too. I wanted to talk to you, too."  _Wow._ "I promise I'm more poetic than this."

Rose Quartz laughed, big and loud and real. And it wasn't a dainty little giggle, either. In fact, Greg thought it sounded downright  _goofy._ She was practically hyuk-ing. It sounded great.

"I believe you," she tittered at last. "Your song was beautiful, but it had me worried. I hope all of your fans know that you're okay."

 _What fans?_ thought Greg, but he said, "Right. Uh…Hey, Rose Quartz—"

"You can call me Rose, Mr. Universe."

"Okay. Um—You can call me Greg."

Her smile wilted. "'Greg'?"

"Yeah. That's my real name. I thought I told you?"

"Your real name…?" Rose's eyes went wide for a moment, and then they crumpled. Greg almost reeled back at the sadness that had suddenly filled them. "You changed your name?"

"Uh…"  _Don't tell her your name is DeMayo. DeMayo will ruin everything._ "Yeah. Kind of. Greg Universe? That's…My name."

Rose's hand settled over his. It was a really…big hand, and Greg probably would have become a blushing mess under other circumstances, but he just felt very calm.

"I understand," she told him. "You don't have to explain."

Greg nodded, and she nodded, and there was some kind of understanding between them. For what, he didn't know. Greg had a feeling they were finding shared ground in two completely different lands. But she told him not to tell-all, so he wasn't going to ask her. Maybe he would eventually.

Eventually. That brought him back to what he was going to say before.

"Since I'll be going soon," he said, "do you think maybe I could get your…email? I know the internet is still new and kind of weird, but I don't have a cellphone yet. I could go to local libraries or whatever and we could keep in touch, y'know?"

Rose tipped her head to the side. "Why don't you just come back?"

"Huh?"

"Once you come back from the cosmos, why don't you come back? I'd be happy to see you again."

"Oh, uh…"

Was there even going to be a "once he came back", he wondered? The tour was supposed to be his launch pad. Empire City could be his endgame; Marty could get him hooked up with…someone. He might not have the time to ever come back to a little place like Beach City, whether it was for Rose or not.

Vidalia's voice suddenly snapped like a whip. "That's it! I'm out of here!"

Marty leaned out of the window while Vidalia marched to her overturned motorcycle. While she pushed it upright, he cried, "Oh,  _what_? Are you angry that I ruined your fairytale?"

Vidalia's eyes glared daggers at him. "Why did you even ask for my number?—" She batted sand off of her seat. "—if you were planning on never seeing me again?"

"It's  _courtesy._ Waitress brings you your order, you leave her a tip. Human decency."

"You wouldn't know decency if she was your mother!" Vidalia pushed her motorcycle forward until she was beside Opal. Despite her fury, her voice was mellow when she asked, "You got a light I can use?"

Opal didn't even question it. She just pulled a motorcycle headlight out of the gemstone in her chest and passed it over.

Vidalia pulled the broken one out, pushed in the other, and swung her leg over the seat. The engine rumbled to life. Opal shirked away from the thin smoke that hissed out of the muffler. Sapphire covered her nose for her.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Marty told her.

"I'm not even going through a door, Martin!"

The muffler growled. The back tire spat up sand and snow. Vidalia was gone.

Rose and Greg watched the motorcycle until it disappeared out of sight, then Rose turned to him with a hum. "She seems upset."

"Yeah, they usually leave that way," sighed Greg.

Marty threw the car door open and stormed up to Opal. She kept her oil-slicked hands under the hood and hardly even looked at him. Sapphire was fiddling with the beads in her short ponytail.

"How long until this thing can go?" he barked.

Opal tapped Sapphire atop her head. "Could you go get me the coolant from my room? Sixth pile from the door."

Sapphire hopped off of her shoulders and zipped off. Opal turned to Marty and explained, "This isn't coolant in your reservoir, it's apple juice."

"What?"

"Apple juice," she repeated as she pulled a siphon tube from the Gem at her forehead. Sapphire returned in five seconds' time, handed the blue jug to Opal, and reclaimed her spot atop the taller Gem's shoulders. Opal uncurled the tube. "Don't feel bad. I've gotten them mixed up before, too."

Opal stuck one end of the tube into the reservoir, the other into her mouth, and just chugged it all up. Marty went absolutely green, while Sapphire dropped down to stand beside Opal instead of on top of her. Whether out of disgust or to let go of her throat was unclear. Greg was chugging down his juice box when she did it, and it all went sour in his mouth.

Finally, Opal pulled the siphon out, poured the coolant in, and stood to her toes. "There you go. Free of charge. Just like I didn't promise."

"Thank you kindly," Marty said, and slammed the hood down. Sapphire had been looking inside curiously, and nearly got her fingers clamped. Opal picked her up single-handedly and glared Marty down, but he didn't so much as look her way. "Come on, Starchild! We've got places to be."

Greg felt a heavy disappointment in his chest. He loved his van to death (he wouldn't have spent so much on the paint-job if he didn't), but he was kind of hoping Opal's repair would take more time. Even a few minutes would have done well.

Ruby hopped out of the van and Rose stood to her feet. "It was nice having you over, Greg," she said. "When do you think you can come back?"

Marty answered for him. "He isn't?"

Rose's face fell. "Why not?"

"'Cause he's got a destiny and this place has taken up too much of his time." Marty pulled the driver's door open. "Empire City is waiting for us, Mr. Universe. Let's not keep her waiting."

Rose asked Greg, "What's your 'destiny'? Why is it in Empire City?"

Again, Marty explained for him, "His destiny is to perform in Empire City so that his music can touch the hearts of hundreds and put money in our pockets and blah, blah, blah,  _get in the car."_

"Marty, hang  _on,"_ Greg told him, almost pleading. "Empire City isn't going anywhere, there's no rush."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Rose's distressed almost-wail made him jump. She was staring down at him wide-eyed and mouth agape, like he'd just told her he was dying or something. Behind her, Ruby, Sapphire, and Opal stood almost side-by-side. Opal looked confused, Sapphire looked nonplussed, and Ruby looked concerned.

"Say anything about what?" asked Greg.

"Your destiny! Your purpose!" Her hands flew down to his shoulders and shook him. "The hearts of hundreds are depending on you!"

"I wouldn't say  _depending_ —"

"You need to go  _now!"_

And then Greg was thrown in every sense of the word into the back of the van. He hit the snow-wet cushions hard and just narrowly avoided braining himself on the passenger's seat. The world was spinning around in circles and didn't stop before Rose shut the doors behind him.

Her face appeared in window, hand pressed to the glass. Greg wasn't sure if it was what she wanted, but he put his hand over hers. She wasn't smiling at all.

"Good luck, Mr. Greg," she told him. Then, "I mean, Greg Universe—Universe Greg—Greg Mister— _Greg!_ Goodbye, Greg. I hope your destiny works out. Maybe you can get your old name back!"

Greg didn't get to ask her what she meant, and as her image shrunk in the window, he realized that he probably never would. He was Mr. Universe, above-average rockstar on the outside, child of the stars on the inside, on his way to the rest of his life, and he had no idea why watching the four gem-beings—one of which breathed steam, another had one-eye, another was two people in one, and the last an unsolved mystery—fading away in the window made him feel so…hollow.

The Gems would watch the van go, and step forward to watch some more, until it was gone, and they stood around for a little bit after that.

"I liked that one," said Ruby.

"His friend was creepy," said Sapphire.

Opal looked down at the trampled section of the chain-link fence. Her eyes narrowed at Rose. "What happened to the fence?"

Rose's crestfallen face turned sheepish, and she stared down at the ground. "I dunno."

Sapphire whimpered, "My glitter stars."

They didn't say anything for a good couple of minutes, and Sapphire was the first to turn for the Temple Door. Opal followed, then Ruby, then Rose at last.

Ruby was the only one who stopped, and it was when she looked at what she had forgotten she was holding.

"Oh," she said, and held up Greg's guitar, "You think he'll need this?"

* * *

"I'm thinking dinner, Starchild. What say you?"

Marty didn't even wait for Greg to respond before pulling into the parking lot of a roadside diner. It was small and beige and had fuzzy spraypaint on the windows that read  _KIDS EAT FOR FIVE DOLLARS!_  About six people were inside.

"You think we could pass you off as a little girl with that hair?" asked Marty. He could have been joking. Maybe he wasn't.

Greg cracked his fingers and didn't say anything for a second. When riding in the car, he'd usually brainstorm some song lyrics, or notes, or just sleep. Maybe fiddle with his guitar some. But he'd spent the entire drive here dead-silent and blank of mind. He was too bothered to even think about what was bothering him.

Finally, he said, "Even if we could, we'd only have one penny for you."

Marty shook his head. "Nah, kid. We're covered."

"With what?"

Marty dug into his pocket and pulled out a cracked leather wallet. It was too old and faded and full of actual bills to be his own.

Greg dreaded the answer, but still he asked, "What's that?"

"Vidalia's tip for the waitress," Marty snorted. He stuffed the wallet into the cupholder.

Greg stood up straight. "You stole that from her?!"

"It's not stealing if she left it in my property," Marty replied. He parked the van and turned the ignition off. "Come on. I want some real food after those h'ors devours your Rose-friend served up."

"I'm not using that money, Marty."

Marty blinked at him, then scowled. "Then I will. They'll probably have something under five bucks in here. Who knows? You may have a quarter left over for the gumball machine."

Long fingers reached for the wallet, and Greg's snatched it up first. Marty's lips curled back from his teeth. Greg didn't even flinch.

"What's your deal, DeMayo? You usually don't get so  _bold_ when you meet big women."

"It's not about Rose," snapped Greg. "And it's not about being bold, it's about being fed up."

"With what?!"

 _Good question._ Greg himself couldn't even explain what he was doing. Since when did Marty get him so fired up? He could stomach his bad temper and rude manners before. Like water's off a duck's back. But sitting here with Marty now, listening to him gloat and snark and tease, it was like every word was gasoline to Greg's fire. He didn't know where all the anger was coming from, but he didn't try to stifle it.

"With this," he said. "Begging for money, freezing in the cold, not getting any time to myself for a  _year…_ And for what?"

"For your  _destiny_ , Starchild. Empire City will be our jackpot, I told you!"

"How do you know? Did you even get us a place to perform?"

"I know what I'm doing, kid! That makes one of us! Do you know what you're doing? Huh?"

_No, I don't._

Marty's fingers grabbed hold of the front of Greg's shirt. He tried to pull him closer, closer to his sharp teeth and slimy tongue, but Marty's arm was thin and pulled taut as a wire with no effect. Greg met his steely eyes without problem.

"We made a deal, kid, and it's written in ink. You play your third-grade poetry, I make the arrangements, we get the money, I get eighty percent. We do that over and over and over until you pay me off for the amount of time I've had to spend babysitting you. Our next stop is Empire City. Capiche, amigo?"

Outside, snowfall had started up again. Ice melted against the windshield. Cold seeped through the doors.

Greg's eyes fell down to his lap. "Capiche. I'm sorry."

Marty snorted, but his fingers slipped away. He undid his seatbelt and fixed Greg with a crushingly disappointed look.

"Keep the crises for your lyrics, kid. You need a new single." He pointed at Vidalia's wallet, still in Greg's hand. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I won't use Vidalia's cash. But you're going to have to cover the bill. I'm going to find us a table. Come inside when you pull yourself together."

The door opened, cold crept in. The door creaked close. Marty walked away and out of sight.

Greg immediately went to collecting Marty's thing.

He didn't have much. A box of clothes, some pocket fodder he kept under the dashboard, his own wallet and credit cards that were probably only worth the plastic they were made with. Greg pulled it all together, stacked it atop the box, and threw open the car door.

With one leg out, Greg reached up the mirror above the driver's seat and withdrew the contract. It was written on a crumpled cocktail napkin.

 _**GREG WILL PLAY SONGS AS MR. UNIVERSE AND MARTY WILL GET 80** _ _**PERENCT** _ _**PERCENT  
SIGNED: ** _ _MARTY & _ _**Greg.** _

Greg tore it to pieces, stuffed them into the box, and left it all on the sidewalk in front of their parking spot.

Then Greg was back on the road, driving back the way he came, and he realized that things had just barely gotten better. He didn't have to deal with Marty anymore. He'd doused the flames on one tree while the whole rest of the forest was still burning.

He didn't have a job. He didn't have a phone. He didn't have anything even remotely resembling a plan. He just had this van and the stuff inside of it. He was hardly even Mr. Universe anymore. Everything was running on autopilot and Greg didn't know whether to calm down or keep panicking or what.

"GREG!"

He didn't step on the brake fast enough to avoid ramming Rose.

Ramming was a strong word. 'Shoving' was more like it. Or maybe not, because as the front bumper of the van hit her legs, Rose barely even moved. She was in the middle of the road and the snow and Greg had no idea why.

She ran to his door, and he rolled down the window without thinking.

"You left this," she told him.

His guitar was shoved under his nose. He left his guitar? He was so out of it that he  _left his guitar?_

"What kind of Mr. Universe am I?" he groaned. "Thanks."

He pulled the guitar inside, and Rose pushed herself in. A curl of pink hair dropped against the door handle, she was so close.

"What are you doing?" she almost cried. "Sapphire said you might do this, but I was hoping…Greg, please turn around! Your future is the other way."

"I…can't. I can't turn around."

"Then I'll help!"

Greg could only grab onto the wheel as Rose twisted the entire van around by the front bumper. She pushed it into the other lane and returned to Greg's window. She was smiling again, in a sort of sad way.

"There you go!"

Greg sighed through his nose. He was kind of hoping he'd see Rose again when he was feeling a little less…somber.

"I'm not going," he told her. "It's not my destiny."

"What?"

"You're going back to Beach City, right? You want a ride?"

Rose only paused for a second before rounding to the passenger's seat. But then she realized there was no way she could possibly fit in the car, so she kept rounding to the back. The van shook as she climbed inside and onto the bed.

She shut the doors behind her, and Greg turned the car around. Rose appeared beside him as he did so, head between the seats. He could feel her eyes on him.

"What happened?" she asked.

Greg considered his words. "I was so sure that this was it, you know? That this is what I'm supposed to do, that my whole life has been building to this. Being a rockstar. And I still want it, but I…don't think it's my  _purpose_ , you know? I'm trying to imagine spending the rest of my life singing onstage, but I can't."

Rose was quiet for a long time.

"So what will you do now?" she asked.

"Don't know," he admitted. "Beach City seems like a nice place to wind down for a bit."

"It is," she said very quickly. She coughed. "I'm happy for you. I'm happy that you're making your own story."

The van continued down the road and through the snow. Greg and Rose were both smiling. Eventually, Rose crept back to look through his merchandise. She asked him about his CDs and T-shirts, and he answered, and she laughed, and it was like that until the  _Welcome to Beach City_ sign reappeared.

 _Okay,_ Greg thought.  _You're okay._


	4. The Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Opal investigate a lead on Jasper's whereabouts. They instead find something different and much, much worse.

The hatch finally gave way with one last, great tug of Opal's arms. Green sparks bounced against her arms. Opal tossed the hunk of alloy aside and peered into the pod.

Empty, but that didn't surprise her. Controls were still intact, not that she had any idea of how to use them. Nothing seemed out-of-the ordinary part for the swell inside where the impact hit.

Opal sighed and leaned back. "Nothing!"

Up at the top of the crater, Ruby sighed and dismissed her gauntlets. Sapphire had told them that Jasper wouldn't be in the pod, but there was a slight possibility of it exploding if Opal had opened it just so. How Ruby was going to solve that with punching, however, Steven couldn't tell. He was sure she would find a way.

"Great," Ruby groaned. "Don't know why I thought this was going to be easy."

Sapphire considered, for just a moment, reminding Ruby that she'd already told her Jasper wasn't going to be there. In the end, though, she just said, "It's something, at least."

"Hey, Sapphire?" Steven asked as they began the steep climb down. Ruby just curled herself into a ball and went rolling, while he and Sapphire treaded carefully. Sapphire bunched up a handful of his shirt to keep him steady. "How'd you know the pod would be here?"

"Lucky guess," Sapphire replied. She wrapped an arm around Steven's middle and lifted their feet off the ground. While they hovered down, she explained, "This is one of the few places on Earth Jasper would probably be familiar with."

Steven frowned and looked around them. The land around them was dry and spotted with scraggly grass. The ground was uneven, rising and falling and sometimes pitted, and formations of orange rock were everywhere. (Steven found one that looked like Ruby, and she thought that was just fantastic.) There really wasn't anything that screamed "Gem" to him. Not like the Strawberry Battlefield, where remnants had been overgrown over the centuries. Steven wasn't sure if anyone had  _walked_  here in centuries.

Sapphire set them back down once they made it to the pod. Ruby was running her fingers over the great dent on the shell.

"Not very tech-savvy, huh?" she asked.

"Not surprising," said Opal. There was one small crack in the interior, leaking a familiar green slime. She lapped it up with her finger. "Jasper is a Quartz, remember? She wouldn't bother with technology."

"Why not?" asked Steven.

"Quartzes are soldiers," explained Sapphire. "Their only job is to be strong fighters."

Opal reached inside and tried to reach the controls, but being as big as she was, she ended up with her cheek mushed against the pod as she clawed around blindly. Eventually she just sighed, went bright for just a second, and shapeshifted herself down. She was about Steven's height and really looked like someone had just squashed her down. Steven stifled his laughter. Ruby tried to do the same.

While Opal crawled inside the pod (with an audible popping sound), Steven asked, "Then why did Mom have so many powers?"

Sapphire considered this for a second. "Rose was a very special Quartz."

"Hey!" Steven frowned. "You're ALL special."

Ruby beamed. "Oh, Steven!" She squished his cheeks together, earning a giggle. "You so precious!"

"Hold on…I think I've got something!"

Ruby, Sapphire, and Steven all clustered around the opened hatch to see. It was a tight squeeze, but with one eye, Steven could see Opal's fingers moving across thin green holograms that flickered under her touch. Her eyes had taken on the same static that Ruby's had back on Peridot's ship, but she took it with a bit more grace.

"Jasper apparently got enough control to mark some coordinates," mumbled Opal. "Apparently, the Alpha Kindergarten wasn't the only place with one of those…hidden-dungeon-computer-place-thingy-ma-jingles."

"Well said," complimented Ruby.

Steven looked between the Gems on either side of him. As a result, his curls brushed against their shoulders. "Why would Jasper come down here, though?"

Opal drummed stubby fingers against her chin. "When we were sneaking around the ship, you and I overheard Jasper making a sort of progress log. She said something about a 'Cluster'…and considering Peridot was with her, I don't think  _we_ were their only priority."

Sapphire looked around the dusty, red land around them. "Jasper isn't around anymore. Whatever she came here for, she's done."

Opal crawled back out of the pod and shapeshifted back into her normal size. Ruby had to sidestep to give her some room.

"We can still look around," said Opal. "Any clues are better than none."

Ruby cracked her knuckles together. Steven just barely saw a faint outline of heat shimmer around her body. "When I get my hands on that overgrown tangerine, I'm going to…"

Her eyes caught Steven's.

"…give her a chance to surrender, and try to have a civil conversation that will hopefully result in her seeing the error of her ways and this whole debacle ending on a relatively peaceful note."

"Right," said Opal. She pointed out into the distance, where the ground stretched on and on until it was just a flat orange line separating the earth from the sky. "We head out that way, then."

Steven raised a hand in the air. "I have a question."

Opal leaned down in his direction. "I am listening."

"When are we going to go look for Lapis and Peridot?" Steven found his hands curling and uncurling despite his best efforts to be as unwavering as possible. He had to swallow when Ruby and Sapphire turned their eyes on him. "I mean, we've been looking for Jasper for a while now, but what about them?"

Opal pinched the bridge of her nose. "I knew I forgot about something."

"Jasper poses more of a threat than them," said Sapphire, but then she put a cool hand on Steven's shoulder and added, "But Lapis is Steven's friend. And she  _did_  save us from Peridot."

Steven was just about to smile and thank her, but Opal's "I disagree" had him turning to her wide-eyed and shocked. Ruby—who had turned back around to admire the rocks that resembled her—whipped her head around so fast she probably would have gotten whiplash if she was a human.

Opal had her fingers on her chin and her eyes to the distance, but when the silence went on, and she looked down to see them all staring, she paused. Her eyes went wide for a second, like she just rewound what she'd said, and then she was sputtering, "No, no! I mean—of course we're going to help. But her and Jasper might be equal trouble."

A crease appeared on Ruby's forehead. "Peridot and Lapis can't contact Homeworld. And I doubt Peridot has the courage to step on a leaf, let alone hurt any humans."

"No," agreed Opal, "but the two of them became a fusion that neither of them wanted. They're basically a ticking time bomb of hate and fury and…other not-good things."

Steven asked, "If they don't want to be fused, wouldn't they split up?"

Opal's lips twisted as if she'd tasted something sour. "Sometimes…When two Gems aren't on the same wavelength, but one or both of them want to stay fused, the fusion becomes a…prison. The Gems can't escape each other and they just hate each other more and more. But the fusion stays together."

This gave Steven pause. It felt like everything he thought he knew about fusion until this point was wrong. And looking at Opal…well, he had a lot of questions he felt he needed to ask. But in the moment, the only one he gave was, "Can it actually work like that?"

Opal shrugged in a somber way. "It's like trying to walk away from a fight, but then the person you're fighting with handcuffs you together. They have the key, but no matter how much you scream and kick, they won't use it."

Ruby's voice was the first to break the silence that followed. "This conversation got dark."

"Indeed, it did." Opal bent down and plucked Steven from the ground. Steven was left to dangle his feet in the air as she told Ruby and Sapphire, "Steven and I will keep looking here. Sapphire, you and Ruby see if you can figure out where Lapis and Peridot are. Let's regroup back home tonight."

Sapphire turned to Ruby. "I might be able to predict where they are."

Ruby looked left and right, perplexed, and slowly replied, "O…kay…? I didn't…ask…?"

"But you could have."

"Be careful," Opal told them. Then she took off with Steven in tow, her feet kicking up clouds of dust behind her.

But just as Ruby and Sapphire turned in the other direction, Opal came speeding back and skidded to a stop. She opened her mouth, paused, closed it, then just sighed, "Ah, I forgot what I was going to say…" So Ruby gave her a pat on the leg, and she took off again with her head hanging a little lower.

* * *

Steven wasn't sure how long Opal had been running. Maybe for ten minutes. Maybe an hour. Dust bit into his eyes, so he took to watching everything pass by over Opal's shoulder. Being carried by Opal was better than riding on Lion, Steven mused—with Lion, the constant up-and-down motion got his stomach upset at some point, but Opal moved with such balance and ease, it was almost like ziplining.

"Hey, Opal?" Steven cried over the wind. He tried not to shout right into Opal's ear, but Opal didn't have ears, so maybe that wasn't a problem.

"Hey, Steven!" she replied.

"I have questions," he told her.

"Me, too." Opal leaned to the right, and Steven watched a boulder shrink behind them. A tumbleweed got swept away in the breeze Opal left behind her. "What are your questions about?"

"Fusion. You. Amethyst and Pearl. What are your questions about?"

Opal paused. "I was wondering if orange is called orange because oranges are orange, or if oranges are called oranges because oranges are orange. But, uh—We can focus on your questions first. In a minute, though, because we have arrived at our destination."

She slowed and slowed and slowed until she was stopped, then set Steven back on the ground. Steven turned to look, and once he saw the drop just a mere foot in front of him, stumbled back against Opal's leg.

The two stood above a great, winding canyon of smooth orange stone, snaking through the earth at least a mile deep. Its path was never straight—Steven trailed it with his eyes, going left and right, shrinking where the walls almost came together, growing where the walls were far apart. In some places, the stone sprouted from one point in the wall to the other in a bridge. The rock was striped with burgundy, brown, and red, some colors in slashes, others in knots.

Seeing the familiarly-shaped holes in the wall, the hulking machines stiff with age but still clinging to the rock after so many centuries, Steven's immediate realization was,  _Kindergarten._ The next was that it was very unlike the one he'd been to before, the one that he'd first seen Peridot in. There was the obvious, of course—that Kindergarten had been gray and gloomy, much larger than this one, not made of sandy stone.

But looking at the holes, Steven noted some chaos. The other Kindergarten's holes had all been near-uniform in size and shape, not exactly in rows, but with an equal amount of space between them. The holes in these walls shrunk and grew from one to another, some so close they almost melded together. Some sunk haphazardly into uneven stone, others were horizontal just for space. One or two actually  _had_  combined together, and Steven didn't know what those Gems could look like.

"I didn't know there was more than one Kindergarten," Steven said aloud.

"There's two. Well…" Opal paused, thinking. "Yeah, two. Homeworld made this one to pop out some more soldiers during the war. Kind of a rushed business, as you can see."

"You think Jasper came here?"

"If this place has a secret laboratory too, then maybe. Let's just hope it doesn't have some kind of communication device."

Steven looked up and followed the ribbon of the canyon until he couldn't see it anymore. But just before the horizon, something made him pause. The canyon, from what he could see, lost its otherwise smooth curves at a place far away. The sun was too bright for him to get a clear look, but it looked as though a gaping hole interrupted the canyon's path, like a bead on a string, before it continued as normal. He could only guess that it was quite a large anomaly from where they were.

"What's that?" he asked Opal, patting her leg.

Opal followed his gaze and didn't speak for a long moment. A hand rubbed against her mouth in thought, another's fingers twitched against her thigh.

"An accident," she told Steven. Her voice was not as sure as her words. "There were a lot of them, when they rushed it too much. But it doesn't matter. Let's go!"

She picked him up one more time for the descent. They were going up, then down, past the lips of the crevice and deeper still. At some point, the rock slanted down, and Opal's feet met the slide with such precision that Steven almost didn't notice. The great orange cloud that burst in her wake had him shielding his eyes against her shoulder once again.

Then they were at the bottom, so deep that Steven could hold the wide strip of blue sky between his palms. Opal stepped curiously to one of the holes, running a finger along the outline. It wasn't as crisply smooth as it should have been.

"We should keep our eyes extra-open," Steven told Opal. "This rock is orange and stripy. Jasper is also orange and stripy. This is a superb camouflage zone for her."

"Agreed." Opal summoned her bow into her hands, then slung it across her shoulders so that the bowstring crossed her chest and held the riser against her back. "This area is at high risk for ambushes and mild surprises."

Steven started walking, not sure of what else to do. Almost none of the holes were big enough for Jasper to hide in, so if they wanted to catch her, or find any sort of clues, they'd have to just keep exploring. Opal trailed him at a distance. Their steps sounded very loud together.

"So, uh…" Steven kicked a rock forward. "Those questions I had earlier?"

"What?" Opal asked, but then she said, "Oh," before Steven could explain. "Right. Fire away."

"Well, I don't want to bombard you, so…How about we play Twenty Questions? I'll ask something, then you'll ask something, repeat."

"Okay. Sounds good."

"Great. To answer your first question—orange is called orange because oranges are orange."

"Told you," Opal said to herself. Then she half-pouted at her own words.

"Question Two," continued Steven. "How long have you guys been fused?"

Opal blew a long raspberry before answering. "Little over a thousand years, give or take. I think the last time we split up before that train wreck on the ship was about fourteen, fifteen years ago. I stopped counting the minutes. Question Three: Why do human schools give grades as A, B, C, D, and F, but they don't have E grades?"

"They did use E grades a long time ago. But if you got an E, you failed, and 'failed' starts with F, so they changed it to F. Question Four: How did Amethyst and Pearl meet?"

Opal hummed, long and thoughtful. She kicked a rock forward, too, but it was about the size of Steven's head. "That is a very long story that I would be happy to tell you over a cup of hot chocolate with pepper, not so much out here. That sound good to you?"

"I prefer mine with marshmallows, but otherwise, a billion yeses."

"Excellent. Question Five: Why are eggplants called eggplants when they don't look like eggs?"

"Some kinds of eggplants actually do look like eggs. What makes eggplants purple is another matter entirely…Question Six: What part of you is Pearl and what part is Amethyst? I mean in personality. I understand now where your dazzling mane and good posture come from."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Opal replied, taking a minute to toss a length of her dazzling mane over her shoulder to accentuate the good posture in her neck. "Part of me comes from me—I mean, uh—Pearl, and some from Amethyst, but I'm not like a salad."

"Question Six-Point-Five: What?"

"I'm not a mixture of separate things in the same body; I'm a fusion. I'm…" Opal took a breath and let it out. "I'm not a bag of trail mix. You can't perfectly pick out which parts of me are Amethyst and which parts of me are Pearl."

Steven nodded along. He remembered what it was like to be Stevonnie—given, he  _was_ a fusion, not observing one, but looking back, he knew Opal was right. He thought Stevonnie had his energy and Connie's backbone, but some parts of Stevonnie were just Stevonnie. And neither Pearl, Amethyst, nor Sapphire had Moonstone's motherly exuberance or unexpected anger. He was sure the same was for Garnet and Alexandrite, though he had yet to know either of them very well.

"Question Seven," said Opal. "Why do car speedometers say that can go faster than they actually can?"

"I think it has to do with selling cars in other countries and other stuff...but it just looks cooler. Question Eight: When we were on the ship…" Steven paused. "Amethyst and Pearl seemed really happy to be back together."

Opal waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she replied, "Did I miss the question mark?" Then, "That wasn't my next question, by the way."

"What I meant was…Are Amethyst and Pearl together? Not together like  _you_ together—together like Mom and Dad were."

Opal's gaze was wide-eyed as she turned to him. Three of her hands remained resting at her sides, but one curled and uncurled its fingers. Steven couldn't tell if she was surprised, alarmed, or confused.

Finally, she let out a little chuckle. "Not quite, but I can see where you got that. Amethyst and Pearl are like…you and Connie!"

Steven didn't know how to take that. There was a little lace of hesitance in Opal's voice, not like she was lying, but like she wasn't sure of her own words. Whether it meant that Amethyst or Pearl weren't  _technically_ together but getting, if they used to be together…if one of them felt differently than the other—

"Question…" Opal paused. "Question Numeral: What question are we on again?"

"Nine. Question Ten: If Amethyst's weapon is a whip, what's Pearl's?"

Opal raised a hand to the Gem above her brows. Instead of having to reach in, a glowing handle slid out into her fingers. She pulled and pulled until she held a spear in her hand, which was honestly what Steven's first guess was. It looked to be made out of white glass that shone cyan where the sunlight hit it. The bladed end spiraled elegantly into a razor-sharp point.

"Fact," said Steven, "That is awesome."

"Fact: You are right." With a simple flick of her wrist, Opal shot the spear up and over her shoulder, where it disappeared in a blink of blue.

"Question…Eleven," Opal went on. "Are you upset that I'm a fusion?"

Steven almost stopped in his tracks. He'd been honing in on the rock he'd been kicking and hadn't noticed the worry that had clouded over Opal's bright blue eyes. Her lips were pressed into a line.

The only thing he could say was, "What?!" Which was quickly followed by, "That's not my next question."

Opal kicked her own (hunk of) rock. It went sailing and hit a stone wall in a puff of dust. Steven didn't know how far they'd been walking, but they were surrounded by different Gem-shaped holes now. An Injector overhead sent down a scarlet shadow that turned Opal a dusty pink color when she walked beneath it.

Opal's jaw worked side-to-side for a moment before she let out a quick breath. "We haven't really talked about it until now, and I was thinking that it made you uncomfortable."

Steven honestly hadn't thought about it. He guessed that they had kind of…dropped it. They'd been so focused on Jasper, Lapis, Peridot, and Homeworld's looming presence; he guessed his mind was too full to think of much else. Even though Opal being two people—two entirely new people that Steven had never met yet had known his whole life without knowing that he knew them—was  _kind of a big deal._ Doubtless, if there was nothing else to be worried about, he would've been focusing on it for a while now.

Heck, if he was who he was a year ago, he'd probably be bouncing off the walls with the news. He was kind of glad he wasn't.

Opal was awaiting his response, but he had to reply, "Question Eleven-Point-Five: Why would I be uncomfortable?"

"I kept this from you for so long," she explained. "Every time you told me something, you were telling Amethyst and Pearl. Every one of your birthdays, all of our yoga sessions, that  _disaster_ with the mirror…It was all between three people. But—that is, I— _I'm_ not bothered by that. Because I'm Amethyst and Pearl, and Amethyst and Pearl are me, so nothing that we've gone through is meaningless now, I just…Surely you don't look at me the same way you used to?"

That was a point. Not a good point, Steven thought, but a point. He took a moment to look back at those memories Opal mentioned. Helping him into his chair and wiping frosting from his face on his fifth birthday, watching the sunset after that terrible day she'd had in Beach City, running from Opal with Lapis Lazuli's mirror in his hand, feeling hands over his eyes so he wouldn't have to watch the reflection of the long-gone woman shatter beneath Opal's palm.

In his mind, he replaced Opal with Amethyst and Pearl—Amethyst, who seemed full of too much energy and faced Peridot with almost childish insults and taunts, and Pearl, as composed and elegant as a ballerina but held his hand like a comforting mother. It made for curious images. Especially since he couldn't tell when, in those moments, it was Amethyst or Pearl or just Opal who was talking to him.

Steven considered his words carefully. "It's not that I was avoiding talking to you; there's just been a lot going on and I guess I forgot, almost. And I know you're a fusion now, but that doesn't mean I've changed my mind about anything. It's like…I really like hot dogs, right? But then I found out all the gross things hot dogs are made of. But I still like hot dogs! You know?"

Opal blinked at him so slowly that her eyes were closed for about three seconds before sliding open once more. "You think Amethyst and Pearl are gross?"

"…That was the worst analogy. I mean that even though I know something new, it doesn't change much. You're still Opal. I still love you. Meeting Amethyst and Pearl wasn't a deal breaker. I just…Alright, Question Twelve: Why didn't you tell me before? I don't mind, I just…"

The corners of Opal's lips pulled down in a sheepish grimace. She fidgeted with the bowstring across her chest. "Ah…Well. We didn't think about it for a long time, I suppose. You became a fixture in my life so quickly; I forgot you weren't like Ruby and Sapphire. You didn't know me as three different people, I was just Opal to you. I just went along with it, until one day I was just looking at you and realized, 'Oh, man! He doesn't know!' It was… _disconcerting_. Because you were too young to fully understand, but old enough to maybe get upset, right?"

She sighed. "Anyway, I thought I'd waited too long. I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn't be able to understand, or you'd be angry. I asked Ruby and Sapphire to keep it under wraps until you were old enough. I thought about telling you after you completed the test we gave you, but I wanted it to be special."

"I'm okay with that." Steven smiled and walked over to her. When another rock came along, not as hulking as the last, Steven kicked it a little in front of Opal. She kicked it back, and they had a little game going. "Sorry you were scared to tell me. And sorry that it was ruined. But we can do something new for my birthday!"

Opal smiled back, a little relieved. "Like what?"

"Well…" Steven kicked the rock again. "Since you're two people, that means you owe me two presents from now on, right?"

"Oh, I see how it is." Opal reached down and ruffled his curls, another hand pulling on his ear. "Now I see your true colors. You slippery snake."

Steven laughed, but when he looked at the path ahead, he patted on Opal's calf and pointed. "I think you're going to have to boost me up."

Opal followed his finger and paused in her steps. An Injector had fallen off the canyon walls and landed in a heap of broken glass and dented metal on the ground. Its legs were pointed up at the sky like claws. They could have gone around it, if the walls didn't pinch together right where the machine had fallen.

Opal sighed and stepped closer. The ooze inside, whatever it was, had long since spilled and dried. All that remained was a rusty stain in the dust and some jelly-like residue in its insides. It probably looked like cogs and wheels to Opal, but all Steven saw was tubes and pipes that looked a little too much like organs for his comfort.

Opal reached inside and pulled out a tube. The congealed red goop dribbled out of one end, and the fusion immediately dropped it in disgust. "I'm surprised these things held up for this long. They've been here for thousands of years."

Steven looked upwards and shielded his eyes with his hand. The drill still remained on the other end, as sharp as ever, if not a bit worn from the elements. "How do these things work?"

"Well…" Opal tapped a finger on her chin. "These things were never really my department, but basically, it would drill deep into the earth, put in an empty Gem, pump in a little bit of…erm…blood, and let nature do its thing. Then…" Opal splayed out her fingers and poppedher lips.

Steven hummed. "It would be cool if we could get these things working, huh? Maybe then we could make some friends. Literally."

Opal let out a sad little huff of a laugh. "Would that I could. Ruby had that idea, too, once. We all went looking through as many of these we could find. Actually, it's funny, but that's how…" Opal's words trailed for a moment, and then she just laughed. "Well, I'll tell you over that cup of cocoa, huh?"

Steven walked forward and peered inside the Injector through a frame of shattered glass. He couldn't even begin to guess which parts were supposed to go where. It all looked so eerily  _organic_ , as if it were a carcass and not a broken machine. It didn't smell too pleasant, either.

Something near the drill-end of the Injector had him inching closer. "Hey, what do empty Gems look like?"

Opal blew another long raspberry. "Almost like any other Gem, but they're dull."

"What shape are they?"

"Depends on the Gem that's supposed to come from it. Rubies are round with square faces, Sapphires are round with triangular faces, Pearls are…Well, Pearls are like marbles. Except mine." Opal's nose wrinkled as she tapped on Pearl's Gem. "I cannot tell you how many times I've been called egghead 'cause of this."

Steven was only somewhat listening to Opal's rambling. His arm was reaching around blindly, his head raised to avoid slicing himself on glass. Several times, his fingers touch the congealed blood, and he shivered.

Finally, his fingers closed around something hard and cold to the touch, and he yanked it out.

"Uh…I guess you guys didn't check this one?"

Opal—who had been caught in a rant about how egghead was a very stupid insult for a very smart Gem, thank you very much—looked down at his hand and froze so still she could have been mistaken for a statue.

The Gem had a hexagonal facet, much like Amethyst's. Its colors were red and orange, but greyed down, muted. Looking closely, Steven could see how the colors went from clouds to veins to wisps until he could see the flesh of his palm on the other side. It was unbroken and lacking any cracks or fissures; perfect except for a bit of jelly that Steven rubbed away with his thumb.

Opal's hand appeared beside his, palm-up, and Steven placed the Gem inside. Opal held the thing with curiosity and wonder written all over her face. She rolled it between her four palms, as if to be sure that it was real, before she held it close to her face in a grip that was tight around its rim.

"You found one," Opal said at last. It seemed she didn't know what else to say.

"What kind is it?" Steven asked. Excitement was already bubbling in his chest, and he walked closer to Opal just to stare at the Gem while she held it.

Opal shook her head a bit, as if to shake her thoughts clear, and answered, "It's…probably a Carnelian. Another Quartz." Opal's eyes peeled off the empty Gem to look at the Injector once more. Her jaw worked from side to side. "I guess they just missed this one. Or something else happened before…" She didn't finish.

Opal's hands had lowered in her thinking, enough for Steven to be nose-to-nose with the Gem. It was odd to think that that the little thing was a potential person, a seed that had never been planted. "Can we, you know, make her? Maybe you can fix one of the Injectors."

"I've never worked on them before," she answered. But then she added, "But there's a first time for anything. But they're probably all drained. But maybe I can scrounge enough from all of them to put in one. But if we want her to come out as best as she can, it might take months or years. But it might be worth it. Rose would probably want us to…"

"I want us to," offered Steven.

"So do I." A smile teased at Opal's lips, but never fully formed, as Opal frowned and knit her brows together. "We're supposed to be focusing on Jasper, though. I don't want to plant this if she's still around. Not to mention how much time this would take regardless."

"Then we'll do it later. We can make another Crystal Gem, Opal!" Steven waved a hand through the air, not so much at the canyon itself, but…well, he hoped Opal got the idea. "She can live on Earth the way you guys wanted Gems to, right?"

Opal was already shapeshifting her tunic to make a little pocket on the front. She slid the empty Carnelian inside, and Steven noted with a little giggle that Opal had even added a little yellow 'C' on the pocket.

"There you go," Opal said, and patted the Gem with a finger. "We'll get to you later, Carn. We have some things to take care of first."

Opal pulled Steven to her and held him close to her chest with two arms. Steven's nose almost touched Carnelian, and he held her in place while Opal leaped above the Injector. While they were coming down to the other side, Steven asked, "So what do you think she'll be like?"

"Probably energetic," Opal replied. Once they'd landed on the other side, she let Steven seat himself on the bend of her arm while she walked on. "Most Carnelians are like that. She'll be a lot like Amethyst, I bet."

"She and Ruby would get along, huh?" When Opal nodded, Steven added, "Maybe they can share a room until we make her one in the Temple. We can make her one, right?"

"It'll take some work, but yes, eventually. We're going to have to help her train, too, with whatever weapon she has. Fingers crossed bow."

"Uh! Fingers crossed shield!"

"Watch her get knuckledusters."

"Sapphire's probably already called future-vision dibs."

Opal laughed aloud, but the sound slowly died. Her footsteps slowed until they had stopped, and her arm brought Steven a little closer to her. Another hand subconsciously inched in Carnelian's direction. "Hoo, boy, I forgot why we came here."

Up ahead, the dusty ground split open in a perfect square. The closer they came, the further Steven could see in, but the sunlight only pierced so far. He saw the shadows of glassy green veins slithering down into the depths, but everything else was darkness.

"She definitely went down there," said Steven. He sniffled. "There's a lingering aroma of hatred and vehemence in the air."

"I smell it." Opal readjusted all her arms around so that she held Steven behind her and her bow in her hands. She tapped Carnelian further into her pocket to be sure, then summoned a bright but thin arrow into her fingers. "Alright; let's do this."

She jumped, and they were plunged into darkness.

The descent lasted all of five seconds, but it felt longer to Steven. He saw green veins and broken stone fly past them, looked up and saw the blue square of sky shrink smaller and smaller. The temperature dropped the further they went; the air took on the metallic, sterile smell that Steven had long since associated with anything having to do with Homeworld.

The landing was so gentle that Steven almost didn't notice that they'd stopped moving. Opal turned left and right and left again, the arrow in her fingertips bright as sunlight until it disappeared in quick wisp. Then she knelt down and let Steven climb off of her shoulders.

"Well," said Steven. His footsteps echoed metallically off the walls. "This one is different."

The Control Room in the Prime Kindergarten—the  _Alpha_  Kindergarten—had not been very large at all, now that Steven looked back on it. It had a shaft that lowered down into it, just like the one the three of them had just gone through, a landing spot, then nothing but the small lab with the blank walls. Peridot's image on the holographic screen had somehow made the place feel bigger.

This Control Room, assuming it was to be called that, began with a diamond-shaped corridor that had a door for each of its walls. There was an insignia on the floor bearing three triangles that Steven could swear he'd seen before but could not place where. The green veins, filled with liquid that was no longer pumping, snaked through the ceiling and above each door. The whole place was dark save for an eerie greenish glow that couldn't be sourced.

The Gem in Opal's forehead cast out a lavender beam of light. Opal's brows were furrowed and her jaw was tight as she took in the place. "Where did they get the time to do all of this? It had to have been after they took over…I wonder if this is why they wanted this place so badly…"

Steven was only slightly listening. He had his shirt pulled up and his Gem exposed, trying and failing to get a beam out of it. "Come on…" He patted it. "Come on, belly beam…"

"Belly-beam later," Opal told him as she tugged the hem of his shirt back down. "We need to see if Jasper left behind any bootprints…She better not be hiding anywhere, the chicken." Opal's eyes then went wide, and she slapped a hand to her cheek. "Dang it,  _that's_  what I forgot to tell them! If they don't set out the chicken when they get home, it won't be thawed in time for dinner!"

Steven looked at each door in turn and pointed at one behind them. "I think she went in there."

"Why?"

"Because the panel looks like it was smashed in by a very impatient orange fist."

"So it does. Come, Steven. Come, Carnelian."

With the hand-shaped access panel too debris-shaped to work, Opal had to slide her fingers into the space between the doors and pry them apart. Strong as she was, it took little effort, though the shattered remains of the panel sparked in protest. Steven pulled back the drape of Opal's tunic to look inside.

The room was wide, circular, and empty. There were no control panels, no machinery, no Heart-Drives, nothing. All that occupied the space were the unmoving veins that snaked through the walls.

Steven hummed. "Wonder why Jasper was so antsy to get to a big old honkin' load of nothing."

"There had to be something in here, at some point," said Opal. "I'm thinking a ship. See the ceiling?"

The smooth green circle above them was sliced into four triangles. The lines were very hard to see in the dim light. "I see it."

"It was probably already gone." Opal slowly turned back for the corridor. "Hopefully."

They went to the two rooms that had their access panels untouched. Getting the doors open took some tinkering with buttons and serious prying on Opal's part. One held a room almost exactly like the Prime Kindergarten's Control Room, seven blank walls with nothing else, just in a bigger size. The other was identical to the first room—nothing but nothing. If Jasper had been inside any of them, she'd left no traces.

The final room also had its access panel destroyed, just with a little less obvious impatience. It was already half-open, and Opal just had to squeeze herself in a bit to get through. Steven followed with much more ease.

It felt too small compared to the other rooms. The ceiling was too low, the walls too close together—Opal had to bend her knees just to fit in. It was just as empty as the others. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of square panels of a greyish-green color. The only one that was any different was one larger panel centered in the wall right in front of them.

"That one is important," said Steven. "I can tell."

"Stay alert," Opal said. Two hands tightened their grips on her bow, another came on Steven's shoulder, and a fourth reached out to press against the large square panel.

Power still lingered in the mechanisms, which Steven honestly wasn't that surprised about. The many, many squares around them lit up in different hues of neon green. A few flickered as they came to life. Opal's hand left a lingering yellow light that faded away like steam on glass.

Three symbols came up on the screen, side-by-side, bright yellow—a Gem, an eye, and a diamond. Nothing else.

"You got any ideas?" asked Steven.

Opal shook her head. "I'm not used to Gem technology being so… _hieroglyphic_."

"Should we just eenie-meenie-miney-moe it?" Opal shrugged in unsure agreement. Steven pointed up a finger and sang out,  _"Eenie, meenie, miney, moe, catch a tiger by her toe, if she hollers, let her go, eenie, meenie, miney, moe. My mother told me to pick the very best one and you are it. Or so I thought, but you were not, so let's go back to tigers, and get one caught. We catch a tiger, bring it back to Mom, and she blows up like an atomic bomb. The tiger wakes up and sees Mom there, swings its claws, and gets her by the hair. Mom—"_

"Steven, can we please just pick one? This place is giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Gem. We landed on 'Gem'."

Steven went ahead and pressed it for them, and the Gem consumed the screen in yellow. Then the whole panel slid away and out of sight. Behind it was nothing but an empty cubic space. Steven was just about to comment on how tired he was getting of finding empty places, but before the first syllable could leave his lips, something came crawling out.

It was three shiny green rods connected in joints, a spider leg. On its end was a yellow orb that had a small light in its center. It looked between Steven and Opal, and then it  _blinked,_ two lids closing together from nowhere. Steven shivered and inched a little closer to Opal.

There was a sudden flash that left Steven's vision white. Opal let out a gasp and teetered back against the wall. Her blue eyes had turned an aqua-green hue. Steven had to blink away the purplish spots that clouded his vision.

Above the little cubic space, four squares seemed to melt together to display a single picture: Opal and Steven, nothing more than greenish silhouettes. Both of them had yellow circles on their persons—their Gems, two for Opal, one for Steven. Technically, Opal had three, but the third was red and rested a little below Amethyst's.

Opal noticed this too, and with a clenched jaw, raised a hand to hold Carnelian's Gem closer to her. But then the eerie yellow eye split open into claws, and those claws reached out, and when they met Opal's hand, Opal slapped at it.

That little light inside it, like the middlemost part of a flower, shot out a bolt of electric yellow power straight at Opal's hand. Steven had seen the same effect before, with the destabilizers on Peridot's ship, with a much more serious effect—now, Opal's arm lost its form at her wrist, and her hand became nothing more than flickering purple shapes.

Whether it hurt or stunned her or whatever else, Opal yelped and reeled her hand back out of instinct. It was a second enough, because in just a short moment, the claws had reached into her pocket and withdrew Carnelian's Gem.

Steven tried to swipe it back, but the arm moved at uncanny speed. It zipped back into the cubic space, and a clear pane separated Carnelian from the two Crystal Gems. Opal's fist shot out, but even though the sound of her knuckles striking the glass left Steven's ears ringing, nothing happened save for the tiniest of cracks.

The entire wall before them shifted away. What they stood in before was just a corridor. Now they stood before a room larger even than the ship bay.

Positioned in a perfect cross around the room were four huge tanks that Steven couldn't even begin to imagine the use of. They were all a sickly yellow-greenish color, the same as the pipes that went from them to the center of the room. There, it was nothing but a great circle of glass, and below that one another, and another and another until they couldn't be seen through anymore. There were two control panels on either side of it. The switches and buttons on them were few and large.

The mechanical green spider leg that had Carnelian trapped in her glass cage was pulling her closer and closer to the ceiling in the middle of the room, where it sprouted from. Opal tried to lunge for her, but as if the arm could see her coming, it just danced Carnelian out of her hands.

"Give her back," Opal snarled, and lunged again with the same result.

Steven looked left and right for some kind of solution. He had no idea what that thing had in mind for their could-be friend, but knowing Homeworld's reputation thus far, he knew it wasn't good. Though as for why Carnelian had been targeted and not Opal or Steven…

"Maybe one of these things can stop it," Steven said, and ran to the closest control panel.

Opal already had a white arrow summoned into her fingers, with the head targeted straight at the arm. But just as she let it fly, it and Carnelian disappeared into the ceiling. At most, Opal's arrow struck the little square they went into, and it did nothing but create a cloud of hot, shimmering dust.

"Try them," Opal cried.

Looking down, Steven saw that the closest switch to him had lit up yellow. So of course, simply figuring that it had done so because of Carnelian, he closed his hand around it and flipped it.

A great circle of the ceiling peeled away and left yet another pane of glass behind it. At the very least, Steven and Opal could see Carnelian again. She was being suspended without support somehow, just hovering out of reach. Yet again, Opal fired an arrow, this one shining bright and blue. Steven flinched at the explosion of dust and heat it left behind. The glass splintered, but did not break.

"Hold on, Carnelian," Steven called out even though he knew no one would answer to it. "We're going to get you!"

Four eyes appeared all around Carnelian in perfect formation. They were staring right at her, glowing bright. Steven did not know what else to do but keep pressing buttons. The tanks in the room lit up one-by-one. All but the first of the great yellow circles in the floor slid away, but below them, there seemed to be nothing but never-ending darkness. Dread and panic was crawling ever faster up Steven's spine and almost choked him.

 _Come on,_  he thought,  _come on, come on, come on!_

Opal's third arrow, purple and larger than the others, flew. Glass and metal fell apart in a blast so great that Steven stumbled to the floor. The stench of smoke filled the room, and when Steven opened his eyes, he saw that Carnelian was still there, still suspended and the four eyes still staring, but nothing held her back now.

The eyes lit up white, too bright to look at. Opal dismissed her bow and crouched down to leap, calling out, "Hold on! I've got—!"

There was a flash, and Carnelian was shattered.

 _No, she's fine,_ thought Steven.  _She's fine._

_We're going to wake her up. She's fine._

But no matter how many times he told himself, Carnelian's pieces were still caught in the gazes of those four white eyes and Opal's, too. She was still crouched, still ready to help. She was wide-eyed but unmoving.

This is something she does, Steven realized. When she just couldn't take what was going on, she froze up. When neither of her two minds could decide what to do, she couldn't move.

The final glass pane slid away almost without either Opal or Steven noticing. The eyes lost their light and pulled away, and in their absence, Carnelian dropped. One second she was above their heads, the next she was far below them. Opal reacted before Steven did, but all she did was start. Her hands reached out as if to catch the pieces, but her feet were locked in place.

Then there was silence, save for the hum from the tanks that Steven hadn't noticed before.

Steven walked away from the controls to Opal. She was gazing into the abyss below her. He put a hand on her shoulder, the same as she would do for him, but it seemed like nothing.

"She…" Steven sighed. "She wasn't alive. She was empty."

Opal didn't say anything.

"We should see what's going on here. I mean, I don't know why what happened…happened, but…Maybe Jasper—"

"Something's happening."

Steven blinked, then looked down below. In the deep, deep darkness just at his feet, he saw a flickering light. It was so far down and so small, he couldn't see what it was. It looked almost like a flickering lightbulb.

Opal suddenly stood to her feet. "You stay here."

And then she just dropped, and calling her name didn't stop her. The darkness swallowed her up in seconds flat, and just as  _"Opal!"_  came crawling up Steven's throat a second time, he heard a distant thud.

 _This isn't a good idea,_ thought Steven.  _This is an awful, terrible idea. Opal usually doesn't have awful, terrible ideas._

When a few too many moments of silence passed, Steven called out, "Opal? Say something if you're okay!"

Opal didn't say anything. The light kept flickering.

"Opal, please! If you don't say anything, I'm coming down there!"

Ten seconds passed, and then Steven was falling.

And maybe he was a hypocrite, because as wind rushed by him and the light came closer, Steven found himself thinking,  _THIS WAS AN AWFUL, TERRIBLE IDEA,_ over and over. He had thought that maybe, if Opal could make such a drop, then he could, too. But only now, as there was nothing under his feet but nothing, did he remember that he was made of soft flesh and breakable bones whereas Opal was light given solid form.

 _This is going to hurt,_ he thought then.  _This is going to really, really hurt._

It actually didn't.

Steven collided with something firm but not stone-hard as he was expecting. He didn't feel his bones splinter inside him. If anything, it was just a rough tumble. He hit it shoulder-first, which flipped him, and when his body finally did meet a solid ground, it was on his side. At most, he'd have some bruises tomorrow morning.

He'd closed his eyes on instinct, and when he opened them again, he was looking at a wall. Far up ahead was the room he was in before. The only light was behind him, flickering and obscured by a shadow.

He rolled over and saw that it was, of course, Opal. The light gave her a wavering outline. She was on her knees, looking at its source, which she obscured from Steven with her back. She must have been what Steven had landed on. But she hadn't reacted at all.

"Opal?" he asked, crawling closer. "Opal, what is it?"

Opal didn't reply, so Steven looked past her.

The only thing he saw, at first, was colors. Blue, red, yellow, green, orange…A mosaic of them, pieced together into something vaguely spherical. There was another eye, its gaze a hot white laser. The light bounced off the colors and sent a rainbow of reflections on the dark walls. As Steven watched, the eye stopped, moved left, and started again. It was trying to weld another piece into the puzzle.

 _Carnelian,_ Steven realized.  _It's Carnelian._

The clear pieces sat atop the others. The eye was working on fusing the smallest shard in.

_Shard._

_No, please, not again…_

Steven hadn't realized that he wasn't breathing until air was shuddering into his lungs. His hands reached for Opal out of sheer instinct—a lifesaver—but she wouldn't even budge. Steven couldn't see her face.

"What is this?" he asked, because he didn't know what else to do. He looked at the shards beneath Carnelian, and it  _hurt._ He saw red and thought,  _Ruby,_ blue and he thought,  _Sapphire,_ pink and he thought,  _Rose Quartz._

But it was worse than that; it hurt worse. Carnelian was just an idea, these were Gems that had lived. Carnelian would never burst out of the rock, see the sun for the first time, or see a smiling face to greet her, but the others had.

_Maybe they knew Opal. Oh, please, PLEASE don't tell me Opal recognizes any of them. Please let them be strangers._

Overhead, Steven heard something humming, and he looked up. The panes of glass were sliding back into place, one after the other. Soon, it was a solid yellow ceiling above them. They would be trapped, if Opal were not there.

Steven took her arm and pulled, but it was like trying to fell a tree. "Opal, I think we need to go." Of course, she said nothing. "Opal, come on! I know this is freaking you out, but please!"

The eye finally stopped and faded into gray, but even after it slid into the smooth walls and out of sight, there was light. A small, eerie, growing light, coming from within the cluster.

Then the light was seeping through the cracks—white light oozing out bit by bit, spilling before Opal's knees. Steven knew the light, he'd seen it before, but he didn't want to believe it.

There was no way. There was just…no way that…

Then the drops started to shift and shrink until five trickles had become five fingers. They rested on Opal's knee and twisted into her leggings, as if trying to pull her forward. More light gushed out, first a foot, then another hand, this one going for the fusion's shoulder and shaking it.

Yellow lines began to creep up the walls, and a different kind of hum sounded. It was low at first, then crept higher, the sound of a computer coming to life. Steven looked up at the thick ceiling above, the walls all around them, the floor below them—which had five spokes that came together in a shape that was clearly intended to  _open_ —and Steven suddenly felt, very dreadfully, like they were trapped in a blender.

Something grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and Steven jumped back on instinct. The hand reeled back, hurt, and went to Opal instead. Another palm was pulling on one of her side-tails. Another was cupping her cheek.

"Opal," Steven cried again. His hands were scrambling up the walls for an escape that wasn't there. Opal's presence was the only thing giving him security at this point, but it was the same amount of security that a small boat gave a man who was hopelessly lost at sea.

The light had taken up half the chute and was bubbling higher and higher. The clump of Gem shards was swallowed inside of it. Steven's and Opal's shadow were dancing on the walls.

Steven grabbed Opal's shoulder and pulled. At most, the fusion just teetered back a bit and caught herself with one hand. Steven couldn't even describe the look on her face—when he expected horror and panic, he instead found an eerie calmness. She seemed at rest, and Steven would have thought so if her eyes did not tell him different. Perhaps they had always done this in these moments she had, but only now did Steven see that the bright blue of her eyes were taking in a deeper, indigo color.

"We've got to get out of here," said Opal in a hushed voice that never rose or fell or inflected on any sound. "We've got to help them. There's nothing we can do. We have to try. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do."

A hand clamped around Opal's throat and squeezed. At the same time, another took her hand and held it. Opal didn't seem to see anything, let alone the other hands that were not focusing on her, the ones that slithered up the walls and clawed at the air.

Steven had nowhere else to go. The emerging form of the shattered Gems was slipping past Opal, but creeping closer to Steven. When he slapped one hand away, another appeared. Fingers swiped for his ankles. The ones that reached for his Gem he batted away with a strength he couldn't help.

He reached out and grabbed the nearest thing—Opal's hair. "What do we  _do_?!"

His hand was slapped away, but not by Opal. Fingers clawed for him, trying to snatch his wrist, and he stumbled until the wall was flat against his back. Then there was nothing else to do. The formless light was almost touching his toes.

 _Go away,_ Steven thought.  _Go away, get away from me, get back—!_

There was a bright pink flash, and a shove that seemed to come out of him despite his arms not moving. Steven gasped when something pulled itself from his belly, painless but powerful.

His shield was projecting itself from his Gem in a steady pink ray. It was spinning around slowly, making its light pink spiral twist into the rose in its center. Despite its ever-elegant appearance, and the gentle sparkles in the air around it, the shattered Gems shrank back from it in fear. Slowly and warily they inched forward again.

At another time, Steven would be bouncing on his heels at seeing his shield again, and having it come with such little ease compared to last time. But as it were, Steven just reached out for it. The shield lacked any straps in its interior, but even still, it latched itself to Steven's arm at once. And he could  _feel_  it, even though it was really just hovering millimeters from his skin.

When the emerging form surged forward once again, Steven held a breath and shoved forward with as much strength as he could muster. He felt the reverberations running through his arm and grit his teeth against them. Once more the form shirked away from him, and this time, their return was not immediate. Several arms were raised up with their fingers curled towards him. They looked eerily like snakes poising to strike.

Now there was a river of bright white separating him from Opal, and Steven couldn't cross it. On her knees, Opal was submerged hip-deep and was being drowned quicker by the second. There were so many hands on her that Steven could not make out her lavender skin anymore. Even her hair was being tugged and tousled.

The fingers in her hair wrenched hard all at once and twisted her neck back. At last, a sound wrenched itself from Opal's throat, but it was a terrible, gurgling, pained sound. A necklace of electric purple light wrapped around Opal's throat, and before Steven could understand what was happening, Opal's head was pulled from her shoulders.

Though Steven did catch a gut-twisting glimpse of ultraviolet strings appearing between Opal's head and shoulders—pulling taut and snapping—it was just a moment. Then Opal was gone, and she, too, was nothing more than a mass of shifting light with no form or direction. The only thing that kept her from mixing with the shattered Gems' mass was an outline of lavender, and even still, that outline was turning cyan around Pearl's Gem and purple around Amethyst's.

Steven reached out for her. But of course, she was already gone.

"Opal," he cried anyway. His feet were kicked out beneath him, and he fell onto his shield. Though its hold on his arm released, the shield remained, and he scrambled into it with no idea of what else to do. He was stuck on a little pink boat in a sea of light, the many hands the waves, and Opal had fallen overboard. Still he reached for her, still he kept his eyes on the two Gems bobbing with the clump of others. Amethyst's had lost its pastel hues and had darkened to purples. "Opal, come on!"

Then those cyan and purple outlines faded away, and nothing separated Opal from the sea any longer. The waves had swallowed her.

Suddenly, everything dropped, and Steven yelled. Whatever was beneath him fell away, and he was freefalling. He grabbed onto his shield, but his other hand found no purchase.

His arm was caught tight and secure, but the rest of him dangled. Steven could hear nothing else but the blood rushing in his ears and his heavy breaths. His legs kicked underneath him with nowhere to go. His fingers on the shield were clammy.

The chute below—a tunnel, he guessed—was split into yellow rings in alloy walls. But the grooves in the walls, the heat that rolled from the depths, the ever-charging hum, the glass above that trapped them, and that deep, deep, deep darkness on the other side had Steven wheezing for air.

They were all locked and loaded. Once the trigger was pulled, they were gone forever.

He was being kept from freefalling by hands that had locked around his wrist and elbow and forearm. Whether this was Opal seeking him out, or the mass that had assimilated Opal into it trying to do the same to him, he didn't know. The shattered Gems had pressed themselves tight against the walls, palms sticking onto them in every direction to keep them anchored, but there was nowhere else to go.

With his other hand, he tossed his shield up just a bit and caught it on his arm with surprising skill or how terrified he was. When the arms pulled him up, he let them, and held his breath, and then he was swallowed.

He would never know what the inside of so many Gems constructing their bodies of physical light together, because it was too bright to keep his eyes open any longer. He could hardly feel a thing. It was the same sort of weightlessness he'd felt when Lapis Lazuli had him in a whirlpool, but the fact that he was  _not_ alone this time made this  _so much worse._

"Opal," he said once again, the hundredth time, "You have to pull yourselves together! You two have been together for so long, you can make it through this!"

Something wrapped around him, firm and gentle as a hug. His hands covered his Gem out of sheer fear.  _They can't take me in,_ he told himself.  _I'm not made of light, I won't disappear._

But Opal's voice, or Pearl's, or Amethyst's, did not respond to him. So he tried, and this would be his last attempt, because he knew nothing else to do after this. He was breaking through the surface for one last, deep gulp of air before he was drowned again.

"When Jasper got you, you said you were scared that you would never come back. What do you think is happening right now?"

The vice around him squeezed tighter, the light growing so bright that Steven had to squeeze his eyes into knots. And just when he was about to break, something cool and solid pressed against his cheek, a Gem in the chest that arms were holding him close to.

Steven didn't know what happened next, only knew that they were rising, rising, and  _rising,_ faster than light, faster than the fingers that grasped after them. Glass shattered again and again and again. The humming reached its final peak—a terrible, echoing screech that stabbed right into his eardrums. The heat gave way to coolness, but came back with a vengeance. Every inch of his skin ignited hotter than he could take, and he couldn't help but cry out, but the arms that held him carried him to safety, as they always did.

Sometimes, Steven would have bizarre dreams or terrifying nightmares that made him toss and turn in the night. Come morning, his head would be light as a feather and his skin would be damp. His thoughts were a nonstop stream of incoherency and delirium until he pulled himself back to his senses.

That was how it felt when Steven opened his eyes once again. The air was alive with static and filled with smoke. His limbs were tingling and his clothes were toasted.

He was looking up at the ceiling, and he saw black. The metal was charred in great dark stains. Shards of glass littered the floor, thin and sharp. He hadn't realized that things had gotten  _that_  hot—he'd never seen a glimpse of flame.

Steven rolled his head over. Opal was lying beside him in a heap of limbs and hair. Her body had a faint buzz around it; she was burning hot. She had her face to the floor, so Steven could not see it, but she was shaking all over. Her fingers were curled into her palms.

Steven's hand twitched to comfort her, but he didn't. Instead, he inched away from her. The trembling lessened bit by bit, but she still didn't rise. Steven thought she might combust if he so much as said a word to her.

The tanks in the room were buzzing with energy. The lines connecting them to the chute were too bright to look at. Steven crawled closer to the gaping hole framed in scorched glass frames until he was just close enough to look inside.

The smoke was so thick he had to hold his breath and not look for more than a second. The chute was glowing with heat. There was no clump of shattered Crystal Gems anymore, no Carnelian, no white hands grasping for a savior. Nothing but nothing.

Steven looked to the control boards—still functional. He left the empty chute and the unmoving Opal behind to inspect the closest one. His legs wobbled like jelly.

The buttons, switches, and screens were ready for use. The closest screen to him was blinking. Steven pressed a finger to it.

He heard a voice, calm and robotic.

" _Cluster, Phase Four: One hundred percent completed."_

* * *

Ruby's hands were bare when they grabbed the metal pan out of the oven. The red Gem didn't even so much as wince, she just set the pan on the stove. Golden brown strips of chicken sizzled inside. Despite himself, the sight and smell made Steven's stomach rumble.

"Looking back, I don't know what our plan was," Ruby said as she turned the oven off. "As if the two of us could search the entire ocean together. At least I got that shark to leave us alone." Ruby paused and turned to him with a guilty expression. "I'm not a bad person for punching a shark, am I?"

Steven chuckled, but it sounded weak to his own ears. "Nah, you're good."

The door opened, and Sapphire entered with a grocery bag in the bend of her arm. Ruby hurried to get the plates out of the cupboard.

"They didn't have our usual bread," Sapphire said as she went to the counter. From the bag, she withdrew a head of lettuce, a jar of mayonnaise, a bag of buns, and a few other staples. The last thing she pulled out was a orange box of candy that she held out to Ruby. "They had S'more Snacks at the register. I know they're you're favorite."

Ruby gasped as she took the box. The smile she gave Sapphire was tender. "You  _do_ care!"

Steven let out a little huff of a laugh. He was kicking his legs as he sat on one of the stools, had his chin propped in his hands.

"Hey, Steve," said Ruby, "this chicken strip looks like a foot. Come look!"

Without even looking at it, Sapphire added, "I agree that you need to see this."

Steven shook his head. "I believe you."

Ruby went to making his sandwich, but her movements were slow. She and Sapphire kept giving each other looks (which Steven had to assume on Sapphire's part.) When Ruby slid a plate over to him, she propped her arms on the counter and watched him. Sapphire walked around to sit beside him. Despite his empty belly, Steven did not immediately dig in, instead pinching at the bread absentmindedly.

"So," said Ruby, "You guys really didn't find anything?"

Steven's legs stopped kicking. There was so, so much to tell them. But he couldn't do it, not just yet.

He didn't have the stomach to point-blank tell Ruby and Sapphire what had become of their fallen friends. He couldn't look them in the eyes as they found out yet another detail of Homeworld's never-ending cruelty. That the Gems that had fought alongside them in battle thousands of years ago were still  _alive_ , but they were no longer themselves.

"I'll tell you later," he finally sighed.

Ruby and Sapphire shared yet another look, but the subject was dropped for the time being. When Ruby spoke up again she asked, "Is Opal still out there? She's usually not late for dinner."

Opal had walked out of the front door before Ruby and Sapphire had even returned home. that was about an hour ago. Steven had an idea of where she went, but had hesitated to follow her.

"Here," he said, grabbing his plate, "I'll go take it to her."

* * *

The cold season had turned the blossoms of the tree into thousands of pink buds that dotted its dark branches. The grass around the roots was soft with fallen petals, brown and orange—elsewhere, the grass was high and dry enough to tickle Steven's calves. From the distance, Steven could see the shape of Opal sitting at the base. He'd seen the image before.

He had to brace himself as he approached, but he still wasn't ready when he finally came to her. Opal was in a state he'd never seen her in before. Her feet, probably for the first time (that he'd noticed), were not en pointe. Her heels were flat on the ground. Her silver-white hair was free of any ties. Up and out of her face, her tresses were elegant, but now they looked nothing else but wild as they tumbled all down her back and shoulders.

Opal did not greet him, but Steven knew that she knew he was there. He stopped a few good feet away from her. Twilight was settling in, so instead of a sunset, Opal was watching the steadily-fading orange glow over the horizon of the ocean.

"Got you a chicken sandwich," said Steven. "I don't know how you like yours, so I just put in some peppermints."

"I'm good," Opal scoffed, not unkindly. She patted the roots beside her without looking at him. "C'mon. I know you didn't come out here for delivery."

Steven obeyed and sat close enough for her hair to brush against his arm. He set the plate down on his other side, and when he looked back at Opal, he was reminded that she had actually shrunk a little when she reformed on Peridot's ship. He didn't feel so dwarfed as they sat together.

"Well," Opal said in a very dry voice. "What a day, huh?"

"Yeah," sighed Steven. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but we should." Opal tipped her head back to rest against the trunk of the tree. Her fingers were twiddling with the pocket that still lingered on her tunic. "Remember when we had that really bad day at Funland and Fish Stew Pizza and we came out here just like we are now? I was kind of hoping we wouldn't have to do this again."

"Same," Steven sighed. "Remember when occasional bad days were all we had to worry about?"

"Yee-up."

"I know you're not okay, but I'm going to ask anyway. Are you okay?"

Opal crossed her arms over her chest and let out a long, slow breath. She didn't say anything for a very long moment, and the sky changed a dozen more colors.

"I haven't really known how far Homeworld could go," she eventually mumbled. " _Me,_ I mean.  _I_ didn't know any of those Crystal Gems that were fused together like that.  _I've_ never lost anyone because of Homeworld. But I keep getting reminded, over and over. First it was Peridot, then it was Jasper, and now it's this."

Steven's fingers curled into the grass. "I know how that feels."

"Yeah, I guess you do, huh? It's just…" Opal ran a hand through her hair. "When I was a part of them, I could feel what they felt. I was scared, and I  _hurt_. I've never felt like that before. It was awful. I-I wasn't even  _me_  anymore."

"I'm sorry," Steven whispered. "But…"

Opal looked down at him expectantly. Steven cleared his throat.

"Question Thirteen: How did you get out?" he asked. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes…We all did. I mean…I wasn't  _me_ anymore, but…Only  _I_  knew you. Does that make sense? It was like you were a lighthouse and I just—pulled myself together. I don't know. Question Fourteen: You weren't hurt, were you?"

Steven swallowed a lump in his throat. "No. I was just scared. Question Fourteen: What do you think the Cluster is?"

"Don't know, don't want to find out. But we will. Question Fifteen: You hungry?"

"Yeah. Question Sixteen: You're not perma-damaged from what happened, are you? I mean, are you going to have five arms instead of four from now on? More than two eyes?"

"No, I'll be fine. Question Seventeen: Do you want my sandwich? You can take off the peppermints. Or keep 'em."

"Thank you!" Steven picked it up and peeled the bun off. While picking up and dropping the ketchup-slathered peppermints onto the plate, he went on, "Question Eighteen: Do you mind if I ask another question about Amethyst and Pearl?"

"No, go ahead." Opal picked up a peppermint and popped it through her lips. It crackled between her teeth. "Question Nineteen: What's the question?"

"Question Twenty: Do you ever think you would unfuse and not…come back?"

The words left a terrible, bitter taste in his mouth as soon as he said them. But Opal's rightmost arms draped over him, another twiddling a peppermint between her fingers. The stars were beginning to peek out one by one.

"No," she said. "I don't."

That was enough.


	5. The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven discovers something when he dreams. Further investigation earns him much more than he bargained for.

Ruby's hand swiped across the paper almost fast enough to draw smoke. The pencil made sharp scratches, the only sound in the room. She was sitting cross-legged on one end of the sofa, Steven on another, Sapphire in-between them. Opal was on the floor with one arm propped on the table. Steven had a soccer ball between his feet and was gently rolling it back and forth. When he kicked just a touch too hard, Opal pushed it back.

"Okay!" Ruby slapped her pencil down on the table (unintentionally snapping it in half) and snapped the paper straight. "Here is our schedule for the day: Opal will retrieve Jasper's escape pod and see if she can get any more information out of it. I will search through the Beta Kindergarten to see if I can find anything. Sapphire will search through possible future outcomes throughout the day and go wherever she thinks she needs to. We all take however long we need, then return home to converse and plan out our next course of action."

Ruby set the paper down for them to see. It only said,  _OPAL TINKERS, RUBY SCOURS, SAPPHIRE FUTURES. TAKE TIME. COME HOME. TALK. (bathroom light needs to be fixed? get bulb from store)_

"Uh…" Steven propped a foot on his soccer ball to keep it still. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Normally, you would come with one of us," said Opal. "But you don't know Gem technology, you can't see the future, and if you went out to that canyon for hours on end, you would crisp like a rotisserie chicken."

Steven shrugged and kicked the ball again. "At least I'd go out delicious."

"So," Opal grunted as she stood up to her toes. "The house is yours until we return."

"How long will that be?"

Opal cocked her head and thought. "I'm going to need at least a day."

"Same here," said Ruby. Her fingers dug into the cushions of the sofa; Steven worried she would burn the material. "If I run into Jasper, I'm going to take care of her. That could take a while. If I hurry, I can be back in time for breakfast tomorrow. It's the third Thursday of the month. That means Ruby Omelets."

Everyone turned to Sapphire for her response. She turned her head to each of them in turn before replying, in cool explanation, "Once you go into the future, you can't keep up with the present."

Opal hummed. "So maybe after breakfast?"

"No. I want a Ruby Omelet."

"Well, then," said Opal. "Guess you've got a slumber party with Greg tonight."

Steven shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, I guess."

Ruby clapped her hands together and declared, "But before we go, we need to do chores! So in the next thirty minutes, we need to do the laundry, wash the linens, sweep the floor, mop the floor, wash the windows, tidy the kitchen, clean the fridge, clean the toilet, clean the mirror, wipe down the shower, wash the shower curtains, dust the furniture, clean out the garbage disposal, fold the laundry, clean the oven, sweep off the deck, wash the dishes, dry the dishes, put the dishes away, aaaaaaaand that should be it. Oh, and I realized the other day that the table has been slanted for, like, years."

Steven put the soccer ball on the table. It quickly rolled to the other side and fell to the floor. "Oh."

"So, let's get to it!" Ruby and Sapphire both stood to their feet. Opal stretched out her arms. "Give me about twenty seconds, and I'll get some wood and a saw."

Just as everyone moved to get to work, Steven called out, "Hey! Why don't you guys let me take care of the chores so you can go ahead and get to work? I'm not doing anything today, anyway."

The Gems glanced to each other, until Opal said, "We can wait until we get back if you're worried about time."

"No, I just…" Steven shrugged his shoulders again. "You guys are doing everything you can to find Jasper, Lapis, and Peridot. Cleaning the house is the least I can do. Actually, it's less than the least, because I'm not helping at all."

Steven's words were genuine, but he hoped none of the Gems picked up on any hesitance in them. He  _was_ trying to help them out, but it came from concern, not compassion. The past couple of days, the Gems had been noticeably on edge. Not terribly so, but everyone was smiling a little less, not joking as much. They were closer to how they'd been when they had come back from Peridot's ship almost two months ago. This was yet another venture out to get something,  _anything_. Even a Jasper-boot-shaped footprint would lighten them up; the last thing they would need after another fruitless attempt was a list of chores to do.

Steven kind of wished he and Opal hadn't found that laboratory in the Kindergarten. Even though they needed to.

They had told Ruby and Sapphire, of course. It was probably one of the hardest things Steven had ever had to do. The words had gotten glued in his throat over and over until he finally spat them out after dinner.

There was no explosion of rage and grief, but it would always be a memory Steven hurt to look back on. The way Ruby kept shaking her head over and over, refusing to believe them, and, when no one could comfort her, spitting that it was yet another punishment for the rebellion before storming out in a cloud of heat and steam. How Sapphire had become so very quiet, almost unmoving, until she said "Rose couldn't have known" like a question that neither Ruby nor Opal could answer.

Neither had cracked a smile since it happened. Sapphire was really just becoming more, well, Sapphire-y. Less talkative, only speaking when needing to. Ruby, however, Steven was becoming more and more worried about. Because now he was convinced that Ruby was seeking revenge, more so with each minute. Finding Jasper and detaining her before she did any more harm didn't seem to be Ruby's priority anymore. Finding Jasper and  _hurting_ her because she was as close to Homeworld as Ruby could get her hands on was her priority.

Opal was doing better than either of them, which was saying something, considering she had literally been torn apart and assimilated into…Well, she surprised Steven, that was all. Even if she was more quiet than usual, her silence was less heavy than the others'.

So if Steven could help them down the road just by cleaning the house, he would do that.

"Okay," said Opal, "but don't push yourself. Try to relax some."

"Okey-dokey!"  _I didn't get any sleep last night._

Ruby and Opal stepped onto the Warp Pad together. Opal waved to him, gave a small smile, and said, "See you later! Love you!" Ruby waved him goodbye. She wasn't smiling. Once they had disappeared behind the curtain of light, Sapphire took their place. As the Pad lit up beneath her, she gave Steven an elegant curtsy. It took him a moment to realize she was joking, and he laughed. He caught a hint of a smile before she, too, vanished.

Steven immediately pulled out his phone from his pocket.

_**To: Dad  
The Gems r gone tonight. sleepover?** _

Steven went upstairs to get his bedsheets. Just as he was stuffing them all into his hamper with his dirty clothes, his phone buzzed.

_**From: Dad  
Yeah! Guitar dad is bringn pizza!** _

Steven chuckled, sent him a star in reply, and went to work.

* * *

Doing chores was exhausting on an emotional, physical, mental, and existential level.

From the time Steven started work to the time he finished, he only stopped once to make a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He swept, mopped, sprayed, dusted, wiped, polished, scrubbed, rinsed, rubbed, soaped, and brushed until his arms and legs were screaming in agony. Then he collapsed onto the bed with its fresh comforter, felt the instant relief, and almost cried.

Sleep was almost instantly pulling him down. As he looked blearily around the Room from his bed, at the spotless floors and shiny furniture, and smelled maybe just a bit too much lemon, his slow eyes looked at his nightstand. He realized that it was the one thing he'd forgotten to clean, but he really couldn't care less.

There was a piece of paper folded and resting on the corner of the nightstand. Steven would have reached for it if his arm wasn't begging him not to. Then, his muddled mind remembered,  _Oh, yeah. That's from Mom's box in Lion's mane. Still don't know what it is…_ Then he fell asleep.

At some point, he had traveled from his bed to the helm of a ship. It was in the middle of a great ocean of bright blue water, even though the clouds above were thick and gray, and the waves looked like they were made of clay. The rain was pelting down from all angles, but behind his sunglasses, his eyes stayed clear.

Steven raised his voice above the thunder and called out, "Sailor Peanut Butter! What do you see?"

Sailor Peanut Butter, up in the crow's nest, had two spying glasses held up to her eyes. Beside her, the crow squawked before taking to the air. It didn't even make it ten feet before it turned into a lemon and hit the soaked deck below.

Finally, Sailor Peanut Butter put the spying glasses down and snarled. Her long, dark hair was flying this way and that in the torrents. When she turned to her captain, her eyes held determination, even though Steven couldn't see them behind her double-eyepatches.

"There's land ahead, Captain," she cried down to him. "We'll be safe there if we can wait out this blasted storm!"

The storm hissed at her in response, so Sailor Peanut Butter loaded her harpoon gun and fired. The harpoon, shaped very much like a jar of peanut butter, hit the storm right in the eye. It shrieked, then said no more.

The helm twisted under Steven's grip, and he gritted his teeth. The ship was never going to make it to shore if they didn't get the sails replaced! "Cabin-Boy Jelly! What have you found?"

Cabin-Boy Jelly stumbled out from below deck on uneven peg legs. The rain soaked through his long brown hair in seconds, his beard dripping with water. He had a bundle of ropes in his arms that wriggled about.

"The nets be ready, Captain," he cried out.

Sailor Peanut Butter rolled her eyes behind her eyepatches.  _"Are,"_ she corrected.

"Cabin Boy Jelly," called Steven, as the raindrops started to pick up speed, "surely you do not mean to use fishing nets to replace our sails? Four years of Cabin Boy Academy have failed you."

"Not for the sails, Captain," Cabin Boy Jelly called back. "For that! Look!"

Steven followed Cabin Boy Jelly's pointing finger to the sky above. Just beneath the snarling stormclouds, a star was sailing alongside the ship. Bright yellow and smiling, it was not at all bothered by the pounding rain and gusting wind.

Steven threw an arm forward and called, "Cast the net!"

Cabin Boy tossed the net up to the crow's nest, where Sailor Peanut Butter caught it and tossed it up to the sky. The ropes wrapped around the glowing star with ease, pulling them tight, and the ship teetered with the new power.

"No," cried the star.

"Yes," cried the crew.

The star surged forward, and the ship surged with it. On and on they went, until at last the storm broke and it was blue skies and calm waves once more. The island ahead had triangular mountains right out of a picture book, green and purple, and fields of grass that looked like mop ropes and broom bristles. The ship pushed onto its shore.

The star broke free at last with some very annoyed grumbling. Steven and his crew clambered down onto the sand, soft and white and smelling much like laundry detergent. A murder of lemon crows passed overhead.

"We did it," cried Sailor Peanut Butter. Her now-totally-dry hair fluttered in the ocean breeze.

"We didn't drown," rejoiced Cabin Boy Jelly. He was having a very hard time standing upright on the detergent sand.

Steven dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He flicked it open, held it up to the sunlight, and declared, "And it's all thanks to the treasure map I found in Mom's box inside Lion's mane! Now, onwards, my jolly crew! We're going to have to dig up this treasure quickly if we want to make Queen Icántfeelmylégs happy!"

That's when Steven woke up, face half-turned into his pillows, confused and very unhappy that he didn't get to actually dig up the treasure.

"Mark that down in the Dreams that End in Cliffhangers book," Steven sighed.

He pushed himself upwards with a groan. Reaching for his phone, he was surprised that it wasn't even two o'clock yet. Using the sleeping equation that two minutes of dreaming was equivalent to eight hours of sleep, it should be later. He at least felt a much better.

Steven pushed himself up with a groan and a chorus of crackling joints. Once he spotted the paper still lying on his nightstand, he reached for it and folded it open. He realized that the paper was much older than he first thought—it was yellowed and frayed at the edges.

He was very surprised to find that it actually  _was_ a map. Just not the very simple, dotted-line-leading-to-an-X kind that he had in his dream. It looked to be of the entire continent of Africa, written in careful black fountain ink, the outline followed to the tiniest curve. It was surrounded by tiny ocean waves, a compass rose in the lower right corner. It had no countries outlined or anything similar, but it actually  _did_ have an X. It was at the very bottom of the continent, almost touching the shoreline. It was not marked nearly so neatly as everything else.

 _Curious,_ thought Steven.  _Curious indeed._

He pulled his phone out once more, and scrolled through the contacts until he got to the Maheswarans' contact number.

She answered on the second ring.  _"Maheswaran residence."_

"Universe residence."

" _Hey, Steven! What's up with you?"_

"All the Gems are out on a mission until tomorrow morning, so I got the house to myself. I spent the whole morning cleaning and everything still hurts. What about you?"

" _I guess that means no sword training today…I'm trying out this new book series called_ Dissimilar  _and I'm already guessing I'm not going to be picking up book number two. The summary says the main character, Symphony Iridescence, is half-vampire, half-fairy, and half-werewolf. That's three halves."_

"Symphony Iridescence?"

" _Her middle name's Ethereal. And her boyfriend's name is Killian Blacksoul."_

"Okay, but…"

"… _it's actually kind of cool. I know."_

"I'm glad we agree on this. Hey, are you busy right now? I have a geography question."

" _And I might have a geography answer."_ On the other side of the line, something shuffled, perhaps Connie getting a book or something. She returned a minute later with,  _"Shoot."_

"Okay—the continent of Africa. The very, very bottom. What's there?"

" _I'm pretty sure I already know, but…"_ Another shuffle, a moment of silence.  _"Yeah, the very bottom of Africa is Nomore."_

"No-more? Like, it doesn't exist anymore?"

" _Well, firstly, it's actually supposed to be pronounced 'no-mo-ray' but everyone says it 'no-more' just 'cause it sounds cooler."_

"Like pronouncing gyro as 'jie-row' instead of 'yee-row'?"

" _If that's your opinion, yes. Secondly, yeah, it literally IS no more. The whole area is completely uninhabited. There's no plant life, no sources of water, and (I read), 'the air is filled with an unknown vapor—whether it is fog, smoke, or a form of gas has been discussed by scientists for many years with still no definitive answer. Whatever it is, it appears to be harmless to inhale, and has remained in the air of Nomore for as long as its known history.'"_

"Huh."

" _Why do you ask? Geography interest kicking in?"_

"No, I just…I'll tell you later. Don't worry about it."

" _Usually, telling me not to worry about something makes me worry more. But whatever. I'll talk to you later."_

"Later," agreed Steven, and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

He swapped his flip-flops for sneakers, grabbed his Cheeseburger Backpack, and went to the door. The cold weather had finally passed on, leaving the first signs of spring behind it. Not too hot, not too cold, just perfect. It would have been nice to just spend the day outside, but that wasn't what Steven was looking for.

"Lion," he called out. "Where are you? Lion?"

A grumble from above and behind answered him. Lion was resting on the roof, head resting on his front legs, tail flicking behind him. He was lying so that one paw dangled over the edge. He had one eye cracked open to look down at Steven, with an expression that read, 'What do you want?'

"Lion," Steven said again. "I need you to take me somewhere."

Lion snorted again.

Steven held up the map, even though he wasn't even sure if Lion could understand what it was. "I need you to take me to Nomore. Do you know where that is?"

Lion stood to his paws and stretched his back out, jaws opening wide to show off all his pointed teeth. He hopped down beside Steven with a  _thump,_ then pressed his nose against the map. Steven took that to be a yes.

"Great! Let's go."

Lion snorted once again, but nevertheless lowered himself down to let Steven crawl onto his back. Once he was seated, Lion roared up a portal, bright pink and shining. Steven grabbed onto Lion's mane, braced himself, and the two of them were off.

Wind gusted by, the earth disappeared from beneath them. Steven's eyes squinted from it all. His fingers curled into Lion's mane tighter. When they hit solid ground once again, Steven was lunged forward and almost toppled off of Lion's back.

When he opened his eyes again, Steven saw nothing but gray. Nothing but nothing. Then he looked down and saw the ground, black and almost sandy-looking. He crawled off of Lion's back with hesitation. His sneaker sunk just a bit when it touched down, almost like mud, but there was no moisture.

The ground stretched forward just a few feet before fading out bit by bit until it fully disappeared into the smoky gray void. Steven's first thought was fog, but then recalled that it could be several things. Whatever it was, it was thick, and Steven couldn't even see ten feet in front of him.

It was also dead quiet. Deader than dead, really. There weren't any trees to even hear the wind blow. Steven's slow footsteps sounded as loud as gunshots in the silence.

He would have high-tailed it out of the place were it not for a peculiar feeling in his belly. Not an imagined, unsure feeling, but a literal heaviness that was almost painful.

Lion remained where he was. He did not seem to like the place very much at all. He was still on his paws and was looking around despite there being nothing to see. One sharp tooth peeked past his lips.

Steven walked a little forward, a little backward, to the left and right. He refused to lose sight of Lion, lest he be lost and alone in a place where he couldn't even see the sun.

The pit in his belly grew and shrunk the more he walked. Here, and it lessened. A little to the right, it worsened. Now, Steven wasn't going to pretend he knew  _why_ —he didn't know what he was here for to begin with—but it was the only definite he had.

"How you doing over there, Lion?" he called over his shoulder.

Lion gave an impatient grumble in response. Steven didn't want to stay for much longer, either.

Just when Steven was considering just giving up and turning back home and maybe just dismissing the map as a treasure from one of his mother's long-past journeys that he knew nothing about, the feeling in its gut reached its peak. It spread all throughout his belly, feeling as though it was pinching beneath his ribs. But when he took a step forward, it shrunk, the same when he went backwards, left, and right.

He felt that he was a metal detector hovering over a find, but when he looked down, he saw nothing but the grayish mulch-like ground beneath him. He supposed, however, that the treasures on maps were buried, so he squatted down and dug his fingers into the earth.

It felt cold between his fingers, but dry. Steven couldn't even tell if it was dirt or not, but it left black crescents under his fingernails. One scoop, then another, then his fingertips brushed something hard. As he used both hands to paw up the ashes, Lion came padding over. He sniffed over Steven's shoulder.

It took some more digging and tugging, but finally, Steven pulled it out. He rubbed it on his pants leg to get it clean.

It was a rock. Just...a rock. A pretty rock, granted. It was black all over, and it had no curves, just a bunch off flat spots connected together in a geometrical shape. The surfaces were smooth, the lines between them sharp, and it might have shone prettily if there was any light.

But still. A rock.

"What do you think, Lion?"

Lion leaned down and sniffed at it. He must have picked up something Steven couldn't, because at once, Lion's muzzle wrinkled up and his teeth bared. He didn't growl or snarl, just lifted a paw and tried to bat the thing out of Steven's hand.

"Okay, alright!" Steven stepped away from Lion, holding the rock to his chest. "Drama queen."

The pinching under his ribs had become a stinging in his spine that faded when he held the rock away from him once more. There was no doubt about it: something within him was attracting him to—or, perhaps, propelling him away from—the rock in his hands.

He doubted that it was a Gem. It didn't look cut or faceted at all. Plus, if it was, surely it would have reformed by this point. Steven didn't know how long it had been buried underground, but it was  _long enough to be buried underground_ , and the Gem inside it would have come back to life by now.

If Steven wanted answers, he wasn't going to get them here. If there was anything else to find, it could wait. He just wanted to get home.

"Alright, Lion." Steven gripped the rock in one hand and waved his friend over. "Let's go home."

Lion glared and bared his teeth at the rock. He wasn't crouched down to pounce, but his claws were peeking through his toes. When Steven came closer, Lion shirked away.

Steven huffed. "Lion, come on. You're not even going to be touching it."

Lion's claws dug into the earth.

"Fine. Take me home with the rock, and I'll give you a Lion Licker."

Lion's head jerked up a bit, but his face lacked any consideration. In fact, he looked almost offended, like he was saying, 'You really think it's going to be  _that_  easy?'

Steven raised a brow at him. "You know, they updated Lion Lickers last week."

Lion's ears flicked upwards.

"The Lion Lickers are  _bigger_  now."

* * *

Thirty seconds later saw Steven almost crashing head-first into asphalt. The portal behind them almost cut through Lion's tail with how fast it closed. Lion gave no mind to the fact that Steven was teetering on his back, and instead tried to wriggle him off.

"I'm going," Steven cried. He landed in a kneeling position that left his ankle stinging. "Geez, Lion! Take it easy. They're not going anywhere."

Lion's nose all but shot into Steven's back, pushing him forward. Steven pushed him right back, not that the much larger cat minded. He was almost dancing on his paws waiting for Steven to go inside.

The Big Donut had all of three people inside, which was always good business for the place, but who it was surprised Steven. Lars and Sadie, of course, but Doug Maheswaran as well. The three of them were standing around the ice cream freezer. Doug was scribbling notes into a notepad with fervor.

"Whoa," Steven said as he walked in. He didn't even think about announcing himself. "Lars, Sadie, what have you done?"

"Stop right there, Universe!"

Steven was so surprised he froze with one leg raised. Doug was pointing his pen at him, and waved it until Steven backed away.

"This here's a crime scene," Doug told him with gravity.

Steven looked past him at the freezer. The shelves inside were barren except for a few paper baggies with Sadie's name on them. Not a single frozen treat in sight.

Realization hit Steven like a ton of bricks. "Don't tell me..."

Doug nodded like it hurt him. "The Cream Snatchers."

Lars's nose crinkled. "I can't you still haven't caught these guys."

"Believe it," said Doug. His fingers gripped his notepad hard. "They leave no fingerprints, they do no damage, and they do all of this in the one town in Delmarva where none of the stores have security cameras!"

"We  _would_  have security cameras," replied Sadie with a glower. "If Mayor Dewey realized that they were going to keep people  _safe_ , not 'put everyone in the spotlight of guilt', whatever that's supposed to mean."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Steven looked between the freezer and Doug with panic rising in his body. "So there are  _no_  Lion Lickers here?"

"Well, there is—Hey! Get out of here! No crowds!"

Outside, Onion barely even started at the police officer's cry. He just scuttled up the side of the building and out of sight.

"As I was saying: we have  _this_  one—" Here Doug held up a Lion Licker, still in its plastic wrapping. The poor creature's candied eyes were so out of place that its mouth was above them. "—which is being used as evidence in this case."

Steven looked over his shoulder at Lion. He was staring at Steven intently, his tail waving and freezing and waving again.

Steven turned back to Doug and subtly put on his best puppy-dog eyes. "Can I  _pleeeeease_  buy that Lion Licker from you?"

Doug raised a brow and frowned. "Are you bribing a police officer?"

"Uh...Am I?"

Doug tutted. "I'm sorry, but this is property of the PD now. I'm going to have to send this to forensics to see what we can get."

Lars was the first to ask, "What could forensics figure out from an ice cream?"

"I don't know," replied Doug. "I'm not in forensics."

" _Please_ , Officer Maheswaran," begged Steven. He clasped his hands together and shook them for good measure. "I really, really need that Lion Licker. I made a promise!"

Doug's lips pressed in sympathy, but his fingers held onto the little wooden stick of the treat tightly. "I'm going to need a lot more than that. You've got to give me a real, honorable, morally high reason as to why I should give you the one shred of evidence that we got."

Steven pointed outside. Lion had his nose pressed against the window, and his eyes were wide and shining. When Doug looked at him, he raised a paw and pressed it to the glass.

"Oh my goodness. Oh my—Here. Take it. Don't tell anyone I gave it to you, just—give that sweet baby a treat."

Steven raised a hand to take the Lion Licker, and realized only then that he still had the black rock in hand. He supposed that before his and Greg's little sleepover, he could see what he could search for on the internet. Or he could call Connie up again to see if she knew anything.

Steven took the treat with his other hand, and Doug turned back to the two teenagers. "So the person you saw was short, wearing blue jeans and a red hoodie, with a baseball cap?"

"Yes," answered Sadie.

"Did you notice anything else?"

"No," answered Lars.

"Anything?"

"No."

"Anything?" Doug begged.

 _"No,"_  insisted Lars.

Steven tucked the rock into his back pocket so he could unwrap the Lion Licker with his fingers. The odd, pinching feeling still lingered in his body, but if he didn't focus on it, he could pretend it was just a...lack of appetite, or something.

"Not that this thing would make me hungry, anyway," Steven scoffed aloud as he tossed the wrapper into the garbage. "Psuedo-banana-flavored, candy-eyed, no-shape, bad-lining Lion Lickers got nothing on Cookie Cats.  _May they rest in peace_."

He opened the door, almost afraid that Lion was going to pounce on him. "Okay, Lion. Here you go, like I promised."

He  _would_  have said that, anyway. What he actually said was, "Okay, Lion. Here you—" And then that was it. Because before Lion could even take the treat from his hand, something came crashing down upon him, and then everything was dark.

* * *

"Steven? C'mon, it's your shift."

Steven raised his head up groggily, leaving a trail of drool on the tabletop. He had to look around, blinking like an owl, before his eyes finally landed on Sadie and Lars. They were dressed in the Big Donut employee uniform, the purple T-shirt and jeans. They were holding baseball bats, Lars propping his against his shoulder.

"Come on, dude," Lars sighed at him. He took the chair across from Steven and propped his feet, stained orange with ice cream, up on the tabletop. "You knew your shift was coming up. You shouldn't have cronked out."

"Sorry," replied Steven. He scratched at his cheek and yawned. "Had this crazy dream that the Cream Snatchers actually got the Lion Lickers."

"Glad you're back with us," said Sadie. She took a seat beside Lars and took his hand in hers. "Now get out there. Show 'em what you got."

Steven hopped out of his chair and straightened out his T-shirt. The little donut logo had a wrinkle across it, not that it mattered. He was grateful to finally get back outside. The storage-room-slash-break-room was a good place to take naps, and pretty much nothing else. He picked up a baseball bat on the way out and waved to Lars and Sadie before he went. Last he saw of them, Lars bent down to press a kiss to Sadie's cheek.

The hallway outside was lit with fluorescent lights before its drop at the end. The tiles of the floor cut off into nothing, and Steven sat down on the perch before he pushed himself off.

He fell some twenty feet below, right on the head of a Cream Snatcher. The creature's head burst into a mess of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, sprinkles scuttling across the rock beneath his feet. Another came crawling up the incline, its three-scoop-of-mint-chocolate head swaying as it clawed for Steven. He swung all three scoops clean off its shoulders.

Steven was thankful that, however few in number he was, it was just this one spot he had to worry about, the flat top of a rock pillar so high in the sky that the fog below kept Steven from seeing its bottom. It could have been day or night, honestly. The fog kept any sense of time from him.

He turned, and growled when he saw a rocky-road Cream Snatcher reaching for the massive silver handle of the freezer. He leaped forward and swung, first for its gut, then for its head. Its decapitated body hit a Neapolitan on the way down. Two birds, one stone.

"It's okay, Lion Lickers," Steven called over his shoulder. A strawberry Snatcher limped forward, and Steven honed in on it. "I hate you all, but I'll keep you safe!"

Behind the cold glass of the freezer, the Lion Lickers mewled and meowed, their little wooden stick-paws tapping worriedly at the door. The little things would have been cute, if their manes and their eyes and their mouths and their everything weren't so freakishly deformed and undelicious. One was watching Steven with only one brown eye, lodged in its ear. Steven almost took pity on it.

He took care of the strawberry Cream Snatcher, then a chocolate and a double-scoop cookies-n-cream before craning his neck upwards. Far up above, perched atop the freezer, Lion stared down at the commotion with worried eyes and restless paws. His golden mane was standing on end, and beneath his tannish coat, Steven could see muscles twitching with fear. Every time a Cream Snatcher crawled too close, his claws would peek and shrink and peek again from his toes.

"Fear not, Lion," called Steven. "I won't let them get your Lion Lickers!"

"Thank you, brave soul," Lion called back, in a voice that was neither deep nor high nor near nor distant.

The cold fingers of a pistachio brushed against his pants leg, and Steven swung down hard. Even without looking down the sharp walls of the stone pillar, and just surveying the circular plane, Steven saw two chocolates, a mint chocolate, and a red velvet. There was a lot of them today.

"I'm not sure," Steven told himself, even as he gripped the sticky-wet handle of his baseball bat. "I might need backup for this one..."

"And backup, you shall get!"

And—praise, glory—from the depths of the fog came a familiar voice and the sounds of cutting blades. The Creamcopter rose from below like a phoenix out of ashes. The waffle blades cut through the fog as easily as a knife through butter. The machine was painted in colors of brown, white, and pink, and behind its glass front, Doug sat with his hands tight on the cyclic and his eyes full of fury.

"Doug," Lion and Steven both called out in relief.

"I got this." Doug's voice sounded far away beneath the chopping of the blades. "Just leave this to me!  _Die, you dollar-store gelatos_!"

Then, from the machine guns mounted on either side of the copter, a ringing barrage of pens came firing down. They pierced through the Cream Snatchers' heads the way needles pierce balloons—the first break of ballpoint through ice cream, and then it was just a spray of sugar and ice. Doug rounded around, laughing like a madman, and Snatchers dropped from the rock like rain.

Doug didn't dare fire too close to the freezer, so when a stray Snatcher came crawling, Steven took care of it. One, two, five, six. The Lion Lickers calmed down on the cold shelves, one or two stacking atop each other to sleep. Lion finally laid down, but kept his head raised.

When a hand touched down on his shoulder, Steven swung without looking. The bat whistled through the air, but met nothing—the Snatcher was too fast. Surprising, considering how slow they usually were, but Steven gave no mind. He swung again, but it dodged again, and Steven finally got a look at it.

His heart sunk down to his toes. "No...Not you..."

Cookie Cat's eyes, one pink and one white, stared at him soullessly. Cookie Cat was gripping a bat of his own, but it was clean as could be. He was saving it for Steven.

Steven shook his head like it would make the image of his former idol go away. But there he was, and there he stayed, and grief gave way to fury. "You promised me!"

A vanilla tear dripped down Cookie Cat's face. Then he raised the bat.

Wood met wood with a ringing  _CLACK_. Each time one of them pulled back, they would swing for the other's head, and each time, they would meet the strike. Once, Cookie Cat swung so close Steven felt wind move past his ear. They were parrying swordsmen, moving forwards and backwards, but never breaking apart.

A butter pecan was crawling too close. In fact, in their duel, several Cream Snatchers had crawled up the sides of the rock. The Lion Lickers were mewling again.

The next time their bats met, Steven shoved hard enough to make Cookie Cat stumble. He turned, swung the butter pecan's head off, and turned back just in time to avoid getting clobbered in the face. But six more were coming closer. A cookies-n-cream, two chocolates...and sweet mercy, a  _tutti-frutti_.

Doug still couldn't strike any closer, so Lion at last leaped down from atop the freezer. His claws sent ice cream splattering everywhere. One he took in his jaws by the middle and swung it around until its body fell apart piece-by-piece.

This couldn't go on for much longer. Steven couldn't hold out against Cookie Cat, he might not even be able to take him out. He didn't have the heart...

"Hello?"

Steven couldn't tell whose voice it was or where it came from. Cookie Cat heard it too, and their duel came to a halt as they both turned left and right. Even some Cream Snatchers had stopped to listen.

"Hello? Are you there?"

Steven thought that, maybe, it was coming from within the freezer. But since when could Lion Lickers talk? Either way, they looked just as confused as him. When he walked forward and put a hand on the freezer handle, the Lion Lickers blinked their candy eyes at him in curiosity.

"Is anyone there?"

Finally, Steven tugged the freezer door open. But he didn't feel crisp air, didn't see the white shelves. In fact, the Lion Lickers were no longer there, replaced by a blank void with no light and no end.

In fact, everything else was gone. It was just Steven, and a far-off voice.

"Hello?" it called out once more.

If Steven strained his eyes, he could see a pinpoint of white in the distance, a far-off star in the night. He walked forward, because there was nothing else to do. His flip-flops sent drops of water in their wake.

He opened his mouth to call out, but the only thing that came forward was bubbles. Suddenly, his movements were slowing down. Sandbags had latched onto his limbs, it felt like. Everything went slow and heavy, but far away, the voice continued to cry out for him.

"Anybody?"

He tried to swim, but it was no use. He was coming closer, he knew, but not close enough.

Just when he was about to cry out again, a pair of hands, bright blue and almost gelatinous, appeared on either side of him. Steven didn't even get to scream before they wrapped tight around him. It was neither a hug nor a crushing hold.

"HELLO?"

"I'm here," he tried to say. But then he was staring at a pair of acidic green eyes, and that was it.

* * *

Steven woke with a jolt, and the first thing he saw was the roof of Greg's van.

He was lying on his back, a cool towel on his brow. His skin was covered in a sweaty chill, and he was vaguely aware of the movement beneath him, tires moving over the road. His breath came in shuddering and shallow.

"He's awake!"

Connie's voice almost made him yelp. She was sitting right next to him, kneeling on the comforter of Greg's bed. She was wearing a long-sleeved blue dress and boots, her hair tied up in a knot. He hadn't realized it, but the second he had woken up, her hands came to hover around him.

"Steven," Greg called from behind him. "Oh, thank goodness. How you feeling, buddy?"

Steven finally understood what was happening, but as for why, he was in the dark. He tried to sit up so that he could turn to Greg, whose eyes were flickering between the road and the rearview mirror. But the second he tried, pain bloomed all throughout his head. He fell back down with a hiss.

"Don't move," advised Connie. "You might have a concussion."

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

At that moment, the fourth person in the car appeared in his vision. Onion's little tuft of blonde hair popped up beside him. As ever, the strange little fellow seemed very calm, though Steven guessed that if he  _had_  been wearing some kind of expression, it would have shown concern.

"Onion?" he asked dumbly. "What?"

Onion held a hand out to Connie, who placed her phone in his hand. From where he laid, Steven could see Onion pull a translation app on the device. Onion pressed a few buttons and held it to his mouth. Of course, the sounds that came from Onion were a series of "meh" amd "muh". Steven had yet to know where the language came from.

Onion spoke for all of three seconds, then stopped, and held the phone up. A smooth, deep voice came from it.

_"Hello, Steven. I apologize for your current state. You see, I was at the Big Donut when you, Officer Maheswaran, and the two employees were investigating the most recent damage of the nefarious Cream Snatchers. Me being a man of high pride, I felt that Beach City was my turf and mine alone, and I could not stand for this group to reign any longer. So, as you were still inside, I went to work creating a sort of mechanism that could trap the Cream Snatchers if they came again. I won't bore you with the details, but the mechanism involved rope, three lava lamps, and a fair number of bricks. The bricks I had placed in a bucket, and I am afraid that due to mine own clumsiness, the bucket fell just as you were exiting the establishment. It struck your head and immediately rendered you unconscious. Officer Maheswaran was quick to contact your father, who also contacted your friend, Miss Maheswaran. The two arrived to take you to the hospital, and I felt that I should accompany so that I could properly explain my actions and express my apologies."_

Then that was it. Connie and Steven shared a look.

"At least you're awake," groaned Greg. "But we're still going to the hospital. I'm not taking any chances."

At any other time, Steven might have asked if they were still on for their pizza-and-sleepover that evening. As it were, though, he turned his eyes to Connie and told her, "I had a weird dream when I was out."

"What?"

"I was working at the Big Donut, but the Big Donut was actually kind of a battle arena, and I had to protect the Lion Lickers from the Cream Snatchers, and your dad was helping me—"

"You can't have had a dream," said Connie. "You only dream in REM cycles. You got knocked out."

"I don't know, maybe it's a Gem thing. Look, I...I heard someone in my dream. I think it might have...might have been Lapis."

The thought comes to him at the same time he says it. Because he truly can't think of any other explanation. The voice calling out for him, the water, the blue hands.

Actually...It might have been Lapis and Peridot's fusion. He remembered how she looked; he always would. Two of her arms came from her neck like ribbons, and seemed to be made of dark blue water. Her eyes were bright green like sea foam behind her visor.

He had dreamed of her before, a nightmare or two in the past month, but those were just like every other nightmare. They freaked him out, but he couldn't remember what happened in them. That was what dreams were like. But now, he could still feel her presence, her hands clamping around him…

"Lapis?" asked Connie. She blinked at him. "Okay, well...You've been thinking about her a lot lately, so it's not weird that you dreamed about her."

"No, I mean—I felt like she was  _there_. Like it really was  _her_ , not just a dream."

"Dreams feel real, kiddo," said Greg.

"No, I...I don't know how to say it, I just—" Steven's words cut off in a gasp as the pain behind his eyes flared up once again. Onion patted him on the knee.

Connie sighed and inched a little closer. "Okay, Steven. Let's just... _assume_  that it really was Lapis. How? Why? Can you, I don't know, communicate with people in your dreams?"

"Um...Maybe? Mom had a lot of different skills, and I keep finding out new ones."

"Gems don't sleep, though?"

"Well, I don't know what else to say, Connie! I just..."

Steven ran a hand down his face and sighed. The black rock in his back pocket created a lump between him and the floor of the van. If it was Lapis in that dream, then he needed to get back to her. Then he would be able to ask where she was, and help her. It didn't matter how it worked, not right now.

"I need to go back to sleep," he declared.

"What?" Connie's hands flew up at him, as if he was just going to fall asleep at will. "No, you don't! You might have a concussion! What if you fall asleep and can't wake up?"

"Are my pupils weird?"

"What?"

"The pupil-thingy you told me about! Am I crazy-eyed?"

"Oh, right..." Connie moved to come closer, but it was Onion who leaned in very close to look dead into Steven's eyes. His gaze lingered a good ten seconds too long before he turned to the older girl and nodded in confirmation. "Okay, so...Maybe not a concussion, but—"

"Steven?" Greg's voice called out from the front of the van. "It was just a dream, kiddo."

"What if it wasn't?"

"Then it can wait!"

"What if it  _can't_?"

"Steven, we're going to be pulling up to the hospital in one minute. If you can somehow fall asleep  _right_  at this moment, then I'd let you. But we're going to the hospital."

"Understood. Onion, some help, if you would?"

Onion was already helping before Steven even finished his request. A white cloth was pressed to Steven's mouth and nose, and smelling it was like inhaling cotton. All at once, Steven's head became a cloud. Connie cried something out, the van did a little swerve, and Steven went down to the sound of Onion's apologetic murmuring.

* * *

"Hello?"

Steven lifted his head up from the steering wheel. The first thing he saw was miles upon miles of blue. The ocean spread out before him in every horizon, beneath a dark sky filled with countless white stars. The ocean was as bright as if it were under the sun, however, and more than once, the van passed by a star above the surface, burning white and ethereal.

Steven's foot was on the accelerator, and he kept it there. The van went on driving across the ocean's surface, spitting up a spray of mist from the tires. The windshield wipers kept the breeze clear of the glass.

"Hello?" Lapis called out once again. "Is anybody there?"

The voice carried all across the waves to him. It was far-off on the horizon, so far Steven couldn't even see who it was coming from. But something deep, deep within him told him it had to be Lapis, it  _had_  to be, even if the voice did not sound like her.

The ocean must have sensed his unease, because the waves began to roil. The tires rolled over them as if they were as solid as stone, so the van went bouncing and tumbling as Steven pressed on.

(This might be depicting a dire scene, and to Steven, it was. Even so, despite his confusion and worry, the entire situation was just slightly alleviated by the presence of a giant onion in a doctor's uniform riding beside Steven in the passenger's seat. Very distressing situation, yes. Still a dream, yes.)

Lapis kept calling out, "Hello? Hello?" and grew stronger as Steven approached. He realized then that it was coming from a star, a blazing white one that hovered over the toiling ocean waves. The water glimmered beneath it.

"I'm coming," Steven cried out, "I'm coming!"

The van went flying over a crest and crashed down hard. Everything in the van rattled; the top of Steven's head bashed against the ceiling. He pushed down on the brake, put it in park, and threw the door open.

(The onion took his place and drove away, likely to an important appointment, or his nephew's violin recital.)

Steven stumbled as he ran, leaped over the waves, slid and slipped. Several times he feared a crest would come down upon him and cut him into ribbons, but such agony never came. The closer he came to the star, the brighter it burned, and he kept his eyes down to the water.

One last wave crashed before his feet, and then there were only rings, slipping beneath Steven's shoes with ease. Steven's heart was pounding hard, but he felt no need to catch his breath. In fact, a calm sort of relief came upon him, as if he had slipped into a warm bath. Even though he could not raise his eyes to look ahead, he walked forward.

The water grew thinner and thinner until Steven was left standing on nothing but white. Nothing but nothing.

Then it was just him and the blank void, with no Lapis in sight.

"Lapis?" he called out. His voice echoed out.

"Steven?"

Somewhere in the distance, if "distance" was even a thing in this place, a blue shape appeared. So far away was it that it looked hardly more than a speck, but Steven knew who it was, even before she came close enough for him to see shape of her body.

"Lapis," he called out in relief.

He took off running for her. His footsteps didn't even make a sound. Exhilaration was thrumming through his veins. If this truly wasn't a dream, but something more than that, then Lapis was  _there_ and he could  _find her_ and everything would be  _okay._  Just to see her again, it felt like all this time of worrying and dread alleviated.

"Ste—?" Lapis's voice had faded from desperate to confused. Steven could not yet see her face, but her hands were curled towards her chest, unsure. "Is this real…?"

Her voice was soft and not at all happy. She was clearly not at joyous as Steven was to see her friend again, though Steven could not blame her. He didn't understand this anymore than she did.

 _It might not even be her,_ he reminded himself.  _This may just be a dream._

"I'm coming," he called out to her. He could see the line of her skirt and the messy strands of her hair. "Just hold on, Lapis, I'm—!"

"Hello?"

Steven stopped running in an instant. When he turned around, away from Lapis, he saw a new shape on the horizon. A black speck was all it was, framed in grayish shadow. He almost couldn't see it.

"Hello?" cried the voice that had been calling before but was certainly not Lapis's and certainly wasn't coming  _from_ Lapis. "Is anyone there?"

And just like that, Steven was being pulled in two directions. One led to Lapis, to his friend, who needed him so, so much, who he could find at last, who had suffered so much and would probably be comforted just to see a friendly face. The other led to a stranger, someone he'd never seen or heard of before but felt just as real, who sounded so desperate and lonely.

"Steven," Lapis said again. She wasn't coming any closer. "What are you doing here? Are you real?"

Steven looked back at the distant black spot. It might have come closer.

"I—I…" Steven sounded unsure to his own ears. "Yeah, I'm here…"

"No, this…" The panic in Lapis's voice brought Steven crashing back down. Even though she was still far away, he was suddenly all too aware of her wide eyes and gaping mouth. A hand came up and ran shakily through her short, dark hair. "This can't be happening, how…? What is this?!"

"Is anyone there?" cried the other voice. It sounded scared.

"Lapis," Steven told her. If the stranger had eyes, that must have been the piercing in his back. "Listen to me. I'm here. I can  _help_  you. Tell me where you are!"

"What?" Lapis's eyes narrowed at him. Wherever they were was still, but her skirt and ribbons and hair were beginning to tousle in a nonexistent breeze. "This doesn't make any sense! There's no way for you to be here!"

"It doesn't matter how I'm here," insisted Steven. He cast a look over his shoulder. The black dot was still there, still calling out. "Just tell me where you are!"

"I...We're in the ocean!" Lapis told him, though her voice still wavered with confusion. "I don't know where! I don't..."

At that moment, the space beneath Steven's feet split open. All at once, he was standing before an infinity of color and light, a living aurora borealis, but he felt no wonder in the sight. He tried to pull away from it, but as if the void had arms, he was being pulled down and down and down, faster than he could fight against.

Lapis's image was washing away. The black dot became a blur, a blip.

"Steven?!" Lapis cried. In the watery ribbons that remained of her image, Steven saw something seafoam green wrap around her. Whatever it was, she yelled in its grasp. "No!  _No_!"

"HELLO?!" cried the voice. "IS ANYONE THERE? PLEASE!"

Two voices came from Steven's mouth, one crying, "Hold on!" the other screaming, "Lapis!"

"Don't go!" Lapis's voice was shrinking away, but still he could hear its cracking. "Don't  _go_!"

Then Lapis's voice was gone, the other gave a shrill of despair, and Steven was consumed.

* * *

He still saw white when he opened his eyes again.

This white pierced into his eyes, however, and he raised a hand to shield them. He was lying on his back atop something soft, but his other arm was pressed against something hard and control. It smelled like antiseptic.

"Steven? You okay, kiddo?"

Greg's face filled his vision, and with it, Connie's. Both had their eyes wide and their brows furrowed.

Just as before, his surroundings came to him slowly. They were in a hallway with linoleum tiles and a ceiling spotted with fluorescent lights. Footsteps clicked and padded somewhere, and a phone rang. He might have heard the sound of an elevator ringing its arrival.

Steven was lying on a gurney, one with a green mattress bound in vinyl and caged on either side by cold metal bars. It suddenly felt cold, and goosebumps popped up on his bare arms. His head still ached all over.

"Are we at the hospital?" he asked.

"Yeah," sighed Greg, as though just hearing Steven ask the question lifted pounds off his shoulders. "At the hospital, kiddo."

"Mom said you probably would've been fine," explained Connie. There was something clipped in her tone, but who it was directed at, Steven was too sleepy to tell. "But then you got chloroformed, so...yeah."

Steven turned his head and looked around. There was no small child with a tuft of blond hair in sight. "Where's Onion?"

"He's legally not allowed in the hospital," answered Greg.

Connie pulled her phone out of her pocket. "He asked us to video chat him." Then Onion was on the little rectangular screen, held before Steven. Onion waved at him from somewhere outdoors, with trees behind him. Steven waved back.

Connie kept the phone level with Steven while she asked, "Did you find Lapis?"

"Yeah, but..." Steven tried to push himself up to sit, but his fingers felt too numb. His temples pounded in protest. "She didn't understand why I was there. And someone else was there, too, but I couldn't tell who it was."

"Steven, buddy, listen," Greg cut in. The hair around his temples was a little damp with sweat. "I know this is kind of freaking you out, but I need you to calm down for a bit, okay? It could still be  _just a dream_."

"But it  _wasn't_ ," insisted Steven. He tried to sound stern, but he probably just whined. "It was too  _clear_  to be a dream. I remember it too well!"

Connie turned to Greg. "Did Steven's mom have any dream powers?"

Greg's head snaked back at this. On the metal bar of the gurney, his fingers drummed. "If she did, she didn't tell  _me_!" He paused. "Maybe she thought I would freak out. Can't blame her. That's why I never told her I can fit my fist in my mouth."

"You can fit y—? Wait." Steven shook his head. "Listen. There was someone else there! I don't know who it was, but they were calling for help!"

On the screen, Onion murmured and waved a hand in front of his face. Steven took this to mean 'What did they look like?'

"I didn't actually see them. They were really far away...but I heard them. I don't think they knew I was there."

A bout of silence draped over the four of them, and the numbness in Steven's fingers faded away. In the pause, Steven thought of how the others were doing. He wondered how they would react once Steven told them what happened. Maybe they would tell him that it was indeed one of his mother's abilities. Or maybe they would have no idea what was going on. Neither felt very comforting.

"Okay," said Connie, "Maybe—"

Her suggestion never came, because just then, Doctor Maheswaran appeared with clicking heels. She looked as prim and proper as ever. Not a hair of her graying hair was out of place, neither her coat nor her scrubs held any creases of wrinkles.

"So he's awake," she said in a tone that was neither surprised nor concerned. "You must have been trying to stay down. You should have woken up ages ago."

Onion's hand slapped against the screen frantically. Connie tucked him out of sight.

Doctor Maheswaran moved between her daughter and Greg, and the two sidestepped out of the way. She pulled a little light from a scrub pocket and held it right into Steven's eyes in turn. Then she tucked it away and took out a ballpoint pen instead.

"Follow the pen with your eyes," she told him. "Tell me who you are, where you are, and what happened."

"My name is Steven Quartz Universe," he answered dutifully. His eyes kept trained on the pen as it moved up-and-down and left-to-right. "I am at the hospital because a bucket of bricks fell on my head. And then I was chloroformed."

"Indeed you were," tutted Doctor Maheswaran. She put the pen away. "Are your ears ringing?"

"No."

"Do you feel sick?"

"I feel hungry," he said with a shrug. "And sleepy still."

"You can go to the cafeteria later," the doctor told him. "They have pizza, French fries, burgers..."

"I thought hospital food was supposed to be super healthy?"

"Hush now," she told him.

Greg was wringing his hands despite the calm conversation. Luckily, his forehead had stopped sweating. "Does he have a concussion?"

Doctor Maheswaran sighed and crossed her arms. "He's speaking clear and responding well, and he doesn't seem bothered by light or noise. The fact that he has an appetite is a good sign.  _But_ , I think he should sit tight for a little while longer."

Connie piped up, "Are you going to X-ray him?"

"I doubt I'll need to go that far, but some things take a while to show up." Doctor Maheswaran turned back to Steven and raised a brow. "I'm going to assume that you have a headache?"

"Well," Steven said, "it feels like someone dropped a bucket of bricks on my head."

"Exactly. Being knocked unconscious, waking up, and going right back under also isn't good practice...natural or unnatural."

The doctor's eyes narrowed at the digital face peeking out from Connie's coat pocket. Her daughter none-too-subtly tucked her phone in further. Onion didn't say a thing.

Steven huffed a breath. The throbbing in his temples only continued, and everything had yet to shake off that pins-and-needles feeling, but he didn't have time for any of this. There was no way that he was  _just_  dreaming, he reasoned. Wasn't it impossible to have a dream, wake up, and continue it?

Lapis didn't seem able to tell him where she was, and that made sense. Not only did Lapis not know the Earth at all, but if she and Peridot were still underwater, then there wasn't going to be any way to tell one spot on the ocean floor from another.

If he couldn't know exactly where they were, Steven at least had to know if he could do  _anything_  to help. He and Lapis apparently had some kind of...mental-soul-astral-connection-bond-tie thing. Or whatever.

(He was going to have a lot of questions to ask when the others got home.)

And then there was the other soul he'd heard.

Steven still could not place the voice; he doubted he'd ever heard it before. But that led to two faces on one coin: being a stranger would explain why Steven couldn't see them so clearly, but also  _didn't_  explain why Steven could hear them at all.

This was all too much to take in. His mind was crammed too full, and the smell of antiseptic and a bad headache wasn't exactly helping.

Greg was saying something to Doctor Maheswaran about hospital bills, specifically how much would need to be paid since all Steven did was lie on a gurney for a bit. Steven interrupted before he could help it.

"When can I go back to sleep?" he asked.

Doctor Maheswaran raised a brow, Greg stopped mid-"sorry", and Connie's eyes seemed nearly to pop out of her head. Onion's eyes peeked out of her pocket to give him a sort of apologetic, sorry-but-I-can't-chloroform-you-again look.

"You can't go back to sleep  _again_ ," Connie all but barked. "Steven, come  _on_."

Greg sighed and reached out to run his fingers through his son's curls. His hand felt cool, and Steven did not realize until then that he was burning all over.

"Steven, just...stop, okay?" Greg propped his arm on the metal bar. "We know you're really worried for your friend. And—whatever's going on, if it's just a dream or a hallucination or some weird Gem magic stuff, you got to take it easy for a bit. You're going to get yourself hurt."

"No buts," said Doctor Maheswaran, even though Steven didn't utter any. "I've never dealt with a patient in your situation, and I can't predict what you'll do next. You need to stay awake."

Steven sighed again. He knew everyone was right, knew it before they said it. Yeah, he was worried about Lapis, and he wanted to know who was trying to get through to him, and he needed to figure out what was going on in his head, but there was no point to any of it if he never woke up again. Besides, once the Gems came back, they would surely be able to help him.

A wave of dizziness swept over him, and his body swayed forward. Greg slapped a hand to his chest to steady him. Doctor Maheswaran stood a little straighter.

"Are you okay?" asked Connie. "Are you that hungry?"

"No, I'm..." Steven's words were slurred with fatigue. He had to try harder just to say, "Just tired."

The doctor hummed. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Chloroform takes a while to work, and you said it took a few seconds? Probably some type of modified chemical weapon."

Connie's phone slipped out as if Onion willed it himself. Narrowing his eyes at Doctor Maheswaran, he zipped his lips shut and flicked the tab sassily at her.

Dizziness continued to sweep through Steven. His balance had all but vanished; if it weren't for Greg's assistance, he would be flopping around all over the gurney. His headache wasn't even there anymore, just a confusing emptiness that left his thoughts scrambled.

"I'll be okay," he told them. "Just...call the onion doctor, but be careful, because you might interrupt his nephew's...violin recital..."

Then he was sailing backwards, and—once again—everything went dark.

* * *

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Steven craned his neck upwards. The night sky above him was so full of stars, there was more white than inky purple. The moon hovered as big as a saucer, milky and glowing, a comet streaking blue across its face.

There was one star in the sky that twinkled black, a literal black sheep, and its voice carried through the night to Steven's ears. The desperation and fear he'd heard before had gone, now replaced with some confusion and maybe curiosity. As if the stranger knew he was there, but just couldn't see him.

Steven looked down at his feet and saw Beach City. As small as a toy set, the entire town was spread before his toes. The Temple's tiny stone face looked on as stoic as ever. The little square of  _It's a Wash_  off at the side. The great hill that rose up and out of the town seemed to just go on forever and ever in green grass and winding country roads. Steven bent down and plucked the big donut of The Big Donut off its roof. It felt like hard plastic between his fingertips.

"Hello?" called the voice. "Are you there?"

"Hold on," Steven called back this time, and the voice quieted in his response.

Steven grabbed the moon and held it tight to his chest. It carried him up and through the stars, practically boogie-boarding through the night. Another comet hit Steven's cheek and burned hot before burning cold. Stars hit his skin like snowflakes. He was soon sparkling all over.

It did not seem very long at all to reach the black star, and the miniature Beach City faded away into obscurity. The moon slowed as it finally came to its stop, fading away more and more until Steven was holding nothing but empty, bright air.

The black star was close enough to touch, though Steven did not, if only not to scare it. It defied all logic, but the star gave off a light that was both dark as pitch and bright enough to make him squint.

"I'm here," he announced.

The voice replied, in a tone that was surprised, confused, and quiet, "Hi."

"So..." Steven cleared his throat. This wasn't nearly as climatic a first encounter as he was expecting. Though he supposed he should be counting his blessings. "You needed something?"

"I..."

The star drifted to the left, then to the right. It had no eyes, but it was still looking. All the stars and comets seemed to confuse it. Which Steven couldn't blame it for—considering the last place it had been was far from comforting.

"I don't know what this place is," the star said. It drifted back in front of Steven. Listening to its voice, much quieter than before, Steven thought that it sounded almost like someone speaking too close to a microphone. Always loud, but whispering. "I've never seen someone else here before. I didn't even...know if you were real..."

Steven hummed in both thought and sympathy. So there  _was_  some kind of plane that Gems could enter via their minds or dreams. Maybe. Maybe not. Probably not. He shouldn't assume.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"I don't know," replied the star. It dropped a little bit, as if ducking its head. "It feels like a long time, but my memories are...weird."

"A lot of things are weird here." In the stars above them, a red elephant soared past and waved at them with its trunk. "Case in point."

The star did not say anything, let alone give a laugh. Steven could no longer tell if this was going well or not.

"Why are you here?" asked the star.

"Um...Good question." Steven twiddled his thumbs together. "Well...My mom was a Gem, and that's a kind of...alien-rock person from a place called—"

"I know what a Gem is."

"How?"

"I don't know."

"...Well, I got my Mom's Gem when I was born, and Mom had a lot of special powers. I find out new ones from time to time and I  _guess_  I can talk to other people through my mind? But only in my dreams. And I haven't figured it out yet."

The star turned and looked around them. The world stretched on to infinity, no end, no horizon. But it was a pretty place, considering Steven had no control of what his dreams looked like.

"You were talking to someone before," said the star. "Who?"

"Oh—my friend, Lapis." Steven wanted to kick himself for forgetting.

The star moved on, passing by twinkling eyes, until it stopped and turned back to Steven. He hurried after it, and soon he was trailing it through the galaxy. Though he doubted it had any idea of where they were going, if there was even anywhere to go.

"She, uh...She got trapped in a mirror," he told the star. "I don't know why, but she was in there for a really long time. I helped her get out, and she left, but some bad Gems found her and made her rat us out. We beat them, but...She had to give herself up so she could keep us safe."

"And you think," said the star, "that you've been talking to her in here?"

"Yeah. The same way I'm talking to you. By the way—who are you? What are you doing here?"

The black star kept going, though it paused at his question. The other stars were clustering closer and closer together now, so that when Steven followed, they melted against his body and left a silvery cloud behind him.

"I don't know," said the star. "All I know is that I've been here for a long time. I know things about the universe even though I've never seen it. Then you showed up just recently."

"You sounded scared."

"I've been very lonely. I thought maybe someone was coming to save me."

Steven hummed. "I wish you knew who you were. Maybe then I could help you."

"I don't think you can," said the star. "This place is all I am. It was just nice, knowing that there was more than me in here."

The star finally slowed, and Steven saw where it had led him: ahead, the stars knotted closer and closer together, as though they were all falling in the same direction, and the sheer multitude of them creating a great, pearlescent cloud. A sun, really, though Steven felt no pain looking at it.

"I think," said the star, "That if you go through here...You'll find your friend."

Steven inched closer. It didn't look like much of a gateway. It lacked any depth, more like a dense fog than anything to use as a passage.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I have a feeling," it replied.

"Okay, but..."

Steven's words trailed away. The star and its black light inched a bit closer to him. "What?"

"I mean...Do you just want me to go?" Steven reached out and grabbed a star, squishing it between his fingertips. It burst like a berry. "I was trying to find you, too. And you were trying to find me, so it just kind of feels... _weird_  leaving you like this. We only just met."

The star, if it had a face, turned back to the gate. Steven thought, if he looked hard enough, that he could see something in all that shadowy light. As if, if he just didn't look at it straight, he could see the outline of something more solid. But before he could figure it out, the star spoke up again.

"You came back last time," said the star. "You came back for your friend, and for me. So maybe you could come back again."

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes. It would be nice, just to have someone to talk to."

"Yeah! I sleep a LOT! I can even come back tonight. Or tomorrow. I don't know how much time has passed...But I'll come back!"

The star pulled back to give him room for his ascent. "I'll be waiting."

"Alright." Steven poised himself to leap (however well he could without gravity) but something else came to him. "You said you didn't know what your name is, right?"

"Right."

"Is it okay if I call you something?"

"Like what?"

"How about 'Starry'?"

The star's voice sounded a little discomfited when it replied, "How about just 'Star'?"

"Short for 'Starry'?"

The star sighed. "Sure."

"Alright. I'm Steven, by the way. So...I'll see you later!"

Star gave him a quick, but almost somber, "I won't go anywhere."

Then Steven dove forward into the starlight, and everything faded away, the stars and the comets, until he was just falling, falling, falling.

* * *

He landed on something bouncy and wet.

Steven grunted when his body fell down upon it, and yelled when it threw him back up into the air. His limbs flailed until he came down again, and dipped up and down for several moments before he was finally still.

He pushed himself up to his feet, which proved easier said than done when the floor beneath his feet wriggled and trembled at his every step. Whatever he was standing on, it was an iridescent aqua color. It seemed as though it were giving out a light of its own, and through the almost gelatin-like mass of it, aqua shadows like veins warped together on Steven's arm.

Steven raised his eyes and realized that what he stood on was just one of many—cubes, floating all around him, cubes in a never-ending darkness. Steven couldn't tell if some were smaller than others or if they were simply that far away from them.

There was nowhere that Steven could go. There was no soul in sight—no Star, no Lapis, no one. It uneased him, though he supposed this was just how dreams worked. If someone was here, he would just have to find them.

"Lapis," he called out, "Are you out there?"

His voice echoed out,  _"Are you out there-there-there?"_ But then it repeated itself, then again, then again, and the sound of it distorted. Instead of a call from a friend, it became an accusation, a voice that wasn't even his anymore baiting for someone to answer it.

The cubes all around him began to pull together. As seamlessly as water droplets, they melted together, one into another, five into more, building and building. And once they were all together, they began to drip and melt and swirl, and Steven realized that they were trying to make something.

A cold settled over Steven's skin. The only cube that had not assimilated was the one he still stood on, but it had become a pool now, sinking him to his knees. He didn't even feel it; yet when he tried to pull his leg back up, it held fast.

As the mass took form, a horrible sound crept up from the depths. Not a yell, or a growl, or a cry for help, but simply a cloud of whisperings. They sounded mocking and scorning, whoever they belonged to, though Steven could not make out their words. Up and up they came, until they were everywhere. Clamping his hands over his ears didn't block them out at all.

When he looked up again, he at first did not even know what he was looking at. The best he could describe it was a whirlpool given shape—torrents and currents all bound together with barely any boundary. They all spun toward two spots, two eyes, empty and leading to nothing.

But then it all calmed down, and the seafoam green gave brightened bluer and bluer. The two whirlpools of eyes filled in, eyelashes and iris and all. The mist that had been spraying up before had bound together in deep blue locks of hair.

Lapis, so large that Steven could not look anywhere else but her, blinked down at him.

"Steven?" she asked.

"Lapis," he answered.

"I..."

Lapis slapped a hand above her brow. Steven started to see cracks in her display—the shifting of her hairline, a bead of skin rolling down her arm before settling back in. A few tiny drops of her broke off and floated away like lava in a lamp.

"What's  _happening_?" Lapis spat between her teeth.

"Lapis, look—" Steven stepped closer, liquid sloshing around his knees, though he knew it wouldn't do any good. He had to crane the back of his head against his back just to look into her eyes. "It doesn't matter  _how_  this is happening; it's just happening. Now  _listen_. I need you to tell me how I can  _help_  you."

The ribbons of Lapis's dress drifted away, aimlessly floating like feathers, and the outline of her hair wavered. She had her eyes squeezed shut and her heels digging into her eyebrows. She was breathing hard.

"You can't help me," she told him. Her voice was very strained.

"Why not? We'll all come and help you!"

"No," she bit back. She opened her eyes at last, and though they were still there, Steven feared for a moment that her irises were reflective like mirrors. "I don't want the Crystal Gems' help."

"I know they didn't let you out of the mirror. I know you've been scared and hurt for a long time, but we can  _get you out of this_!"

Lapis seemed to consider this for the briefest moment. Steven wondered, in that one second, if she saw what he saw: Steven and the Crystal Gems, keeping Peridot away and bringing her back to Beach City. Steven would not at all expect them to be friends by then, but at least they could be on amicable terms. Perhaps the Crystal Gems could even try to explain what they'd done, maybe offer Lapis something that Steven himself had not known.

Then that moment was over, and everything on Lapis was disturbed. Her skin started to ripple, her hair dripping off like slime. She slapped her hands over her eyes as though to keep it all at bay, but her fingers melted into her face until her eyes peeked through again.

"Get out..." She growled. Her voice sounded ragged and wet. Steven didn't know if she was talking to him or something else. "Get out, get out...Get out of my head..."

Then she was gone, gushing away, bursting into waterfalls. Blues instantly shifted back to seafoam green. But still all the froth and currents remained. They fell without disappearing. Because once they lost their form, they tried to assume a new one.

Steven already turned back to see if he had a way of which to flee. He didn't like how it was moving, more turbulent than before, yet controlled. The gelatin-like stuff looked like snakes moving together now. It made him feel almost queasy watching them slide and wriggle together.

The green brightened this time, solidifying into almost neon colors. A pyramid of yellowish slime towered above him, a bright green triangle just beneath it.

He knew, before she had completely appeared, that it was Peridot. Or at least, it was supposed to be. He saw the lime-yellow of her hair, the outline of her visor, even that peculiarly puckered mouth of hers. But unlike Lapis, she was not a blown-up image of herself, not a perfect clone of who she was supposed to be.

Her neck curved into her shoulders, and her shoulders curved into her arms, but just above where her elbows would be, her flesh dissolved away. It was not a clean cut, but more like a mist. Steven's eyes trailed down her, past her suit with that yellow insignia, and in the shadows below he made out her hips and the top of her thighs but then, again, it was nothing.

Her limbs had fallen into the ocean, he remembered. Like discarded toys.

Peridot's face couldn't even take on a definitive form. In one second, he saw her, and the next, it was a vague resemblance. Even with her features rippling, Peridot managed to look at him. He couldn't even tell what her expression was.

For that moment, at least. In the next, it made no matter how clear she was. Steven could see the fury all the same.

"You..." Her voice came out as a harsh whisper. "I knew it was  _you_."

"Peridot—" Steven swallowed a thick lump in his throat. "Listen...I'm not here to hurt you, I just—"

"I know what you want," Peridot snapped. "You want to save Lazuli. I knew you two were associated, and I fell for it anyway...Oh, I'm going to be shattered for this..."

Steven was startled, almost, at the sudden somberness in Peridot's voice. The meekness. "I was just checking the Kindergarten. I was just doing my job and now look at me..."

Steven didn't know what to say, because nothing seemed right. On the one hand, Peridot was right. Before, she'd just been checking on the status for the Kindergarten, whatever it was. She hadn't even known who the Crystal Gems were, just that they were intervening with her work. On the  _other_  hand, she was with Homeworld, and thus she cared none for the Earth or its life. She'd almost killed him, and she'd thrown the others in cages, had insulted them all again and again, had taken Lapis hostage because she knew she was just an asset, was going to cage them all until Homeworld arrive to kill them.

So why, he wondered, did he feel sorry for her?

"Look," spat Peridot. "You want your friend? Come and get her. I can't take this anymore...all the yelling, the pulling, the-the-the  _drowning_...I'd rather be trapped on that pebble you call a planet than spend one more second with the—the moping deadweight you affiliate yourself with!"

Steven's head snaked back a bit. "Really? You want us to find you two?"

 _"Yes!"_  spat Peridot. Her lips curled back from her teeth, one of which dripped out of her mouth before sliding back in. "I don't know how I'm even talking to you right now, but if you could find some way to get me out of this abomination, that would be fine by me!"

"Well, uh...I know Lapis said she didn't know where you guys are, but do you? If you can make out anything, we could come and help you—"

"Help me?  _Help_  me?  _You're_  the reason I'm in here to begin with! You and the rest of the Crystal Clods!"

Peridot's form was losing its composure. Steven backed away on instinct, as though she might explode. "We can come and help, Peridot. Can you just forget about who is on whose side and let us—?"

 _"What?!"_  The word came so harshly and so loudly from Peridot's mouth that it sent all of her teeth spewing from her lips in a goopy white mess. She kept hissing even as it ran down her neck. "I'm not just going to 'forget' anything! None of this would be happening if all of you had just minded your own business. You  _ruined_  my work,  _destroyed_  my ship, and completely  _eviscerated_  any chance of getting a  _shred_  of credibility!"

Peridot's Gem was the next to go, fading away into mist. The void that took her legs grew, climbing up her hips to her belly. Soon she was just a caricature. Steven couldn't even look her in the eye anymore.

"When I get out of here, I'm going to do anything I can to get back to Homeworld." Steven knew that Peridot was right before him, and probably screeching, but it sounded very much like she was calling out from the distance. "When My Diamond finds out what you've done, she'll shatter you all your friends and the entire plan—"

Peridot was gone after that. Once second she was there, the next Steven barely managed a glance of greenish wisps. But he was not alone for long. Once again streams came from nowhere, all joining together before him. This time, it was more like watching someone put a puzzle together, seeing how everything fell into place.

When Lapis came back, she was clearer, more solid, but very heavy. Almost as if she were  _too_  real, present on a new dimension. She had each hand on the opposite shoulder, clutching hard enough for the skin to bulge between her fingers. The strands of her hair were messier than they'd been before, almost sticking out in every direction.

"I did this for you," Lapis told him. Steven couldn't even see her eyes anymore. "I was captive in that mirror because of your friends. I was captive in that ship because of Homeworld. Let me be captive here because of  _me_. If I can't be free, let me choose my own prison."

"Lapis," Steven cried. He did not mean to sound frustrated, even though he very much was. He could not understand how this attempt to help a friend was ending with her refusal. "It doesn't have to be this way. It  _doesn't_. We aren't going to take you prisoner, I promise!"

"I trust you, Steven," Lapis told him. "But I only trust  _you_."

Lapis suddenly gasped as though in pain, and her right cheek went bright green. She seemed as though she was trying to keep something down, but then locks of her hair went pin-straight and pale yellow, her mouth became a knot in her face, and her body could not decide which form it wanted to take.

"Don't come back," Lapis told him. Her voice was laced with someone else's. Two tones spoke at once. "Just leave us alone...Just leave... _Just leave_..."

Steven could not describe what happened next, not in any comprehensible way. Lapis's entire form turned into nothing but matter. Blue and green all together but separate, solid but liquid. Later, he would think that it looked almost like oil and water. Together, but never touching.

There was never any sound, and yet Steven suddenly felt as though a silence had fallen over the void. The matter, the liquid, whatever it was that had once been Lapis and Peridot, froze all at once. A sudden calm, but not at all calming.

When it began to move again, pulling together, a chill spread all over Steven. Dread filled him slowly and heavily. It was not in his head, either. It was real, it was physical. It was making him sick.

"Steven?"

The voice sounded so clear and sharp, Steven whirled around without thinking. One of the cubes was becoming pearlescent. What was once greenish gelatin was now just a spot of gleaming white light. Just as before, he saw no depth but knew it was there.

Star's voice carried out once again. "Steven? Are you in there?"

"I..."

Steven looked back behind him, and wished he had not. There were no more cubes suspended in midair anymore. All around him, everything stretched into inky black darkness, all save for the next and final form.

But Steven knew this one was neither Peridot nor Lapis. It towered far, far, far above him. It seemed to never stop. With Lapis, it was like slush, with Peridot, it was slime, but now it looked to be made of pure burning acid. It bubbled and hissed with every movement. There was no hesitance in any movement. It was a careful construction.

"Steven," Star called out once more, "Get out of there! Come on!"

Steven started running before anything could tell him not to. Just like something in a nightmare, the little platform he'd been standing on suddenly stretched on and on. The gateway to safety went from just out of arm's reach to an impossible length away.

Steven did not stop running, but as he pumped his legs as hard as he could, he spared one last look over his shoulder. Still building, the new form—he would never see her in her entirety. He had only seen her once, that one night she'd first formed. He knew what she would look like once she was done, even though now she was still just a frame.

The only solid things about her were her eyes, sharp turquoise, and her teeth, white as snow. She saw Steven, and knew he was running, and smiled.

She did not say a word, and yet she told Steven her name:

 _Chrysocolla_.

Then Steven leaped forward with everything he had, right into the pearly gateway.

* * *

"Let me see it."

"Opal, you've looked at it three times now."

"Right. Sorry. Just—again..." The sound of shuffling paper. "See? Here! There's something wrong!"

"What's wrong?"

"There's some kind of growth in his brain! It's as big as my hand!"

"The paper is see-through, Opal. That  _is_  your hand."

A pause. "Oh."

"So let me get this straight—Greg is going to have to pay hundreds of dollars just so we can all 'wait and see what happens'? We could have done this at home!"

"Ma'am, please calm yourself. Smoking is prohibited."

"I'll stop smoking when you tell me what's wrong with my boy!"

Steven had just about had enough of groggily waking up and looking around his environment. Yet here he was, again, doing just that. At least this time, it was a lot more comfortable. He was resting on something that was keeping him in a half-laid, half-sitting position, but it was soft, and blankets were pulled up to his chest.

He already guessed he was still in the hospital just by the stark white light and clean smell. The lack of echoing footsteps confirmed that he was in a room now, but thankfully, he lacked any wires or tubes in his body. His clothes had been swapped out for a gown, however.

It took about a minute for his eyes to adjust to the light, and another for his vision to clear. He'd identified the voices before, and was not surprised to see the three Crystal Gems in the room, nor was he surprised with Greg and Connie still being present. Greg and Connie were still by his side, Onion still on Connie's phone. Opal stood underneath the television, for once not needing to squat just to avoid the ceiling. Sapphire was leaning against the foot of the bed he was resting on. Ruby was pacing circles on the floor—a path of paper towels had been laid out to prevent scorching the tiles. The only person he did not recognize was the doctor, a young man who looked both nervous and exasperated with Ruby's demands.

"I'm up," he said, just to spare someone else having to announce it.

The speed of which he was surrounded almost made his head hurt. He swore he just blinked, and then everyone was leaning over him. Sapphire to his right, Ruby to his left, Opal just in front of his feet.

"How do you feel?" asked Opal.

"Are you hurt?" asked Ruby.

"Did you eat the leftover shrimp I told you to throw out?" asked Sapphire.

To the first two, he nodded, to the last he shook his head. He thankfully did not feel so terrible this time around. There was no headache, no dizziness. Just sleepiness, the faint feeling of hunger.

Connie reached out and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Mom took some X-rays of you, but she didn't find anything wrong. Are you sure you haven't eaten anything weird, not been getting enough sleep?"

"Nooo," slurred Steven.

Ruby sighed. "None of us found anything about Jasper; not that it matters now anyway. Are you sure you don't know why you keep passing out? Does your head still hurt?"

"I kno' why!"

"I—Okay, what is it?"

Steven took a deep breath and readied himself. He was far too out of it to explain it all at once, but he supposed he was just going to have to.

Slowly, he tried to say, "I saw Lapis in a dream."

Instead, what he said was, "I saw api 'n a dree."

Everyone around him frowned. Greg was the first one to take a guess. "You saw an apple in a tree?"

"Wha? Noooo _. I saw api 'n a dreeeee_."

Sapphire took the next guess. "You saw Ally in a fee?"

"I. Saw. Api. 'N. A. Dree."

"Oh!" Connie's hands drummed on the bedsheets. "He saw Lapis in a dream!"

The three Gems started. Even Sapphire's head whipped to Connie. But none of them exclaimed, "Oh!" or relaxed in relief. Their reactions had Greg's fingers twisting into the sheets.

"You had a dream about Lapis," Opal confirmed. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"No," groaned Steven. "See wa atuallee tear!"

Greg's brow furrowed. "See an artillary bear?"

Connie translated, "She was actually there."

"And Perio too! Tea sill to-eh-ah. Tea sill ee a osea."

Onion offered a guess this time, but him being Onion, it really just sounded like, "Mema mem mema me ma?"

"And Peridot, too." This time, Connie frowned as she tried to make out his words. "They're still together, and they're still in the ocean?"

Steven nodded despite his sleepiness. Thank goodness for Connie's presence, else he would probably be screaming in frustration at this point. "Tear uson nay 's Cesolola!"

This time, Connie couldn't help but rear back a bit. The others watched her expectantly, but she sounded just as confused as them when she tried, "Their fusion's name is...Cold Cola?"

 _Okay,_  thought Steven.  _Can't blame her for that one._

"He was saying this earlier," Greg told the Gems. "All three times he went under, he's seen Lapis. But he keeps saying it's really  _her_ , not just a dream. Is there any explanation to that?"

The Crystal Gems did not immediately answer. All three pondered about it, brows creased and jaws set. Opal drummed a finger on her chin.

"Rose didn't have any dream powers," she said slowly. "I mean...Gems don't have to sleep, so we don't have to dream. This might be coming from her  _somehow_ , but..."

"Hold on." Sapphire turned back to Steven. The way she spoke to him, you'd think  _he_  was the one having trouble hearing. "Did Lapis say where they were?"

"See dos'n know," sighed Steven. Everyone understood.

Ruby stepped back from the bed and dug her fingers into her hair. Sapphire had her head tilted down in thought, and did not stir when Ruby snapped, "Great! So now there's something wrong with Steven  _and_  we have no idea where Lapis and Peridot are because even they don't know!"

"Ruby," sighed Opal, "calm down. We're all frustrated."

Ruby came back to the bed and asked Greg, "Did Rose say anything to  _you_  about dream powers?"

Greg—who had been hoping that the Gems would have some kind of explanation and was now getting more and more anxious because they did not and also because they were asking the same questions Connie were—shook his head, wide-eyed. "If she did, then I would know what's going on!"

To this, Ruby once again groaned, and Opal once again told her to calm down, and Ruby snapped back at her, and Sapphire told them not to fight, and Ruby insisted they weren't fighting, and Connie was offering explanations no one was listening to, and Onion was just watching. All the noise made Steven lean back on the bed and close his eyes. He was not having a good day.

He sat back up just a second later. He waved to the others to get their attention. "Wait! Tear wa' somun else 'n ma deem!"

None of the Gems paid him any mind, nor did Greg, as he was watching them all with building sweat. Connie was the only one who heard, and asked, "Who?"

"Star," Steven tried to say, but it sounded like 'Stah.' He huffed. "Tea' nay 's Star. I saw tem, tey..."

Dizziness crashed down on him and sent him reeling. He fell back on the bed with a bounce, eyes staring unblinking at the ceiling. His vision was going out of focus, his legs were going numb. He could just barely make out Connie's wide eyes, the whip of her hair as she turned to the others.

"Something's wrong," she said, and that finally got them all to quiet down.

Not that it was much good. Everyone in the room became blobs of color on a background of white. Steven couldn't move eeven if he wanted to. He thought maybe he saw the doctor coming closer, but he couldn't be sure.

They were talking to him, he knew that much. He heard the concern, if not the exact words. But as everything went darker and darker, nothing but nothing, he only heard one voice—Star's, firm and clear.

_"Don't. Tell them."_


	6. The Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden distress signal to Homeworld puts the Crystal Gems into motion. But it doesn't stop there.

Steven had well gotten into the habit of noticing when his dreams were going to be out-of-the-ordinary.

Case en point: one night, he would be in a circus show. The audience members would all be turtles. He was the ringleader, the lion tamer, the juggler, and the tightrope walker—all at once. The tent itself he was always unable to describe. He knew it was big, it was colorful, but as was the way dreams worked (or were supposed to), he would only have a vague memory of it all.

This night, he was standing in a field of grass. The moon was so close, Steven was sure that he could just jump up and touch it. It was calm, but it was raining, and the raindrops would turn into smoke wherever they hit. So even while it was pouring, Steven was dry. He could see every detail, every shadow. It did not feel like he was watching some first-person movie. It felt like he was in that field, wide awake, but somehow light.

Steven had not had such a dream for almost a week. And now that he was having one again, he could not decide whether to be excited or scared.

He was just beginning to wonder if he could wake himself up some way or another when his company arrived.

Star came with no fanfare. It didn't even feel as though they had just appeared—Steven had the uneasy feeling that they had been there the whole time; he just hadn't noticed them before. The sky was as dark as could be, and yet Star still found a way to shine the shadowy way they did.

"Hello," Star greeted—obviously trying to be casual and failing miserably. The relief and hesitance in their voice was impossible to miss.

"Hey," Steven greeted back, because what else was he supposed to say?

Star drifted closer, and Steven noticed that the raindrops were not hitting them at all.

"How are you?" they asked.

"I'm...fine."

"Good, good. Uh, listen..." Star bobbed up and down ever-so-slightly, so small of a movement Steven almost didn't notice it. He guessed this was how they fidgeted. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to do...that."

Steven swallowed. Somewhere,  _Don't tell them_  echoed back to him. He hoped Star hadn't heard it, too.

Back in the hospital, when he had taken that final dip into unexplained sleep, he did not dream of Star. He did not dream of anything. In fact, when he woke up with three doctors talking over him, he felt as though he had simply had a nap. Sleepy though he was, he felt well-rested and clear of mind.

Nothing could really be done while he was "recovering." The doctors, including Doctor Maheswaran, just couldn't figure out what the problem was. There was no way to treat him unless they wanted to get experimental. He had stayed late into the night, staying awake just to see if he could. When he at last started to feel drowsy in the normal, healthy way, he had been dismissed with the simple request that he return if the problem persisted.

It did not. In fact, Steven was in such good health and behavior that he swore everyone would have been calmer if he'd gotten  _worse_. The next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, Steven went on with no problems. He woke up and fell asleep as typically expected—the one time he'd simply tried to take a nap, Opal had all but pounced on him.

Not that Steven's mind had been at peace. With Jasper, and Homeworld, and Lapis, and Peridot, and Chrysocolla, and now  _this_ , he both looked forward to and dreaded falling asleep. He wanted to talk to Star, and he wanted to avoid them—a problem only worsened by the lack of their appearance.

"I haven't seen you in a while," he told them. "I thought maybe I 'lost connection' or something like that."

"No," said Star, "I knew when you were here, I just thought maybe you were upset with me. I wouldn't blame you."

Steven huffed a breath through his nose. The rain was starting to make puddles, but the drops still went up in smoke, so patches of eerie gray wisps surrounded his feet.

"Look, just—what did you do?" He tapped a finger against his temple. "I'm not used to sharing my head with other people. You're going to have to explain what happened."

Star let out a sigh despite the fact that they did not have a mouth. Or a nose. Or a face.

"I don't know exactly what I did. As I said, you were the only person I've ever met. I was confused and scared, and...Well, I thought it might be my only chance to talk to  _anyone_ , so that first time—"

"First time?"

"I...Yes? Do you not remember? I was there, but so was your friend, and you were taken away."

Steven recalled it then—being in the hospital, wondering if Lapis was really talking to him or just appearing as a dream and nothing more. He'd fallen into unconsciousness right after Doctor Maheswaran had told him he would probably be fine.

But he hadn't been 'taken away' that time, he'd simply woken up. He supposed it made sense for Star not to know how dreams worked, or what they really were. His subconscious was their world, after all—but still...

"I didn't know you pulled me back."

"It wasn't my intention. I thought I was simply...calling you back. Trying to see if you were still here. It was only when you came that I realized what I did."

"But then you did it again?"

"It wasn't my intention then, either! You..." Star huffed. "You were taken away  _again_ , and I thought it was because of Chrysocolla. I thought I was saving you, but then I saw...a window. You were on the other side, and I heard voices, and I realized that you and I are in different worlds. It's just that you can cross between them, and I can't."

Star paused before continuing, "I don't know who you were talking to, but I heard them talking about you being here, like it was a problem. If it was a problem, then they would try to fix it, and you wouldn't be able to talk to me anymore, and I'd...be...I just tried to break through to you, but I tried too hard. I didn't mean to do what I did...I let go as soon as I realized what happened."

Steven took a seat on the dry grass. Star sounded too genuine to doubt. He had been so scared that Star was not a friend, but a threat, able to somehow break through dreams into reality and pull him in. If they had pulled him down on purpose, he thought, what chance did he stand? What if they kept him asleep forever? If they could already defy all logic to make him sleep despite being a mere  _figure_ , only real within some part of his mind, what else could they do?

He had read the plot of a movie once—he hadn't watched it, mind you, his spine was not made of such steel—about a monster who could hurt people in their dreams. A creepy plot at the time had become a fear that Steven held onto when he fell asleep.

But now that fear was gone, replaced with some kind of apprehension. He didn't quite trust Star, but not because he was wary. He was confused. He didn't know what or who Star was. They could be his conscience, given life by his Gem. Or maybe they were real, like Lapis, but forget who they were when they were in the dream realm, which would explain why they had no form. Or maybe they never had a form at all, and really was someone who was only real when they weren't in reality.

They could have been a threat, but Steven didn't think they were. He didn't so much as flinch when Star came closer, so close he had to squint in their dark light.

"I promise," they said, "I  _promise_  I will  _never_  do that again. I'm so sorry if I hurt you."

"It's okay," he told them, and he meant it. He held out a hand and gave them a smile. "Let's let bygones be bygones, huh?"

Then he realized Star had no hand, but kept his hand extended. For some reason. Star seemed to catch onto it, though, and ducked down to bump against his palm. It was like a brush of air.

"I really wish I knew who you were," Steven told them. "Do you really have no idea where you came from?"

"None," sighed Star. As if to sit down in front of Steven, they sank down to the grass. The light dimmed. "I don't even know how long I've been here. Maybe hours; maybe years. I don't know if I have any  _purpose_ , or anything. Am I just...some kind of mistake? Maybe I wasn't meant to exist, and that's why I'm here."

"Don't say that!" Steven tried to give them a comforting pat, with fruitless results. His fingers just numbed when they came down on Star. "I'm sure you're here for a reason. We just have to figure it out. I know you're afraid of being...'fixed', but I'm sure me and my friends can help you!"

Star paused. "You think so?"

"I know so. They might not know what you are, but if anyone knows anything about the extraordinary, it's them. Just give us some time, okay?"

"If you say so. You're lucky, you know. To have friends."

"Aren't we friends?"

"I don't think so. We've only just met."

"Uh...Okay, well, maybe we'll get there."

"Maybe."

Steven chewed on the inside of his cheek. Star was truly an enigma, to be so lonely yet hesitant to make a friend. Perhaps they were just scared of him leaving and never returning, however. He couldn't blame them. He wondered if this realm was even like this when he wasn't around; if him dreaming gave the place its appearance. Perhaps they had been stuck in an endless void before this.

He opened his mouth to say something more, but the ground split open beneath him. Steven immediately began to sink into a puddle of shining white light, so quick that he yelped. Star sprang back up into the air, but did not seem alarmed.

"I'll see you later?" they asked.

"Yeah," said Steven. He was sinking up to his neck. "Just wait for me—"

* * *

Something poked him in the cheek.

"Ow."

"Oh, sorry!"

Ruby stood back up to her feet. She was very alert, Steven noticed—legs standing apart, eyes wide, hands a little curled to her chest. Steven, meanwhile, felt crust in his eyes as he sat up from his bed. The bedsheets were tangled around his waist. Outside his window, orange morning light peeked out from the edge of the sky.

"It's early," he stated the obvious.

"Don't I know it," huffed Ruby. She stepped closer to the bed, hands drumming on his mattress. "Come on! It's going to be a busy day."

A yawn cracked Steven's mouth wide open. Ruby's hands drummed faster, as if to get him to hurry it up. "Okay. I'll get dressed."

He tossed the bedsheets back and instantly found himself in the tight hold of two warm red arms. Ruby tugged him out of bed with little effort. If she had been bigger, she would have slung him over her shoulder, but as it were, they were very similar in height, so she instead tossed him over her head.

"No time," she barked.

Steven shook up and down when she padded down the stairs, and very nearly cracked his head against the door as she went out to the deck. Steven was almost feeling nauseous by the time she finally put him down to his feet on the white boards.

Opal was standing to one side of him, Sapphire to another. Neither of them greeted him, instead keeping their faces tilted upwards towards the sky. Steven took a guess and followed suit.

Well, if he needed something to get him awake and ready to go, this was it. The sky was blue, of course, and lightened to a pale yellow to the west. It would have been a lovely morning, if it not for the flames that scorched across the sky. Steven had to say 'flames' because he really didn't know what else to calm them.

Now, Steven was lucky enough never to be involved in a fire (even living with Ruby for his entire life), but he'd seen enough in movies to know how they worked. When fire was trying to charge its way through a door, the flames would come from the top first, and orange tongues would lap at the ceiling. That was what the sky looked like now—like something had cracked open, and now cobalt tongues were lapping at the clouds, which dissipated in their path.

It was both beautiful and horrifying, and Steven could only say, "Whoa."

"Yeah," murmured Opal. "That's what I said."

Ruby had been standing beside Sapphire, and now bashed her head against the railing. Emphasis on 'bashed' here, as the wood splintered on impact.

"One. Day," she growled. The air shimmered around her. "Can I just get  _one_  day where I don't have to deal with this...this..."

"Nonsense?" offered Steven.

"Nonsense!" Ruby agreed. Her fingers had wrapped onto the railing, and smoke seeped from between them.

Sapphire had a hand on the railing, too, and when she took it away Steven saw a light sheen of frost. She tilted her face up to Opal and asked, "I have a guess. What about you?"

Opal nodded without looking at her. "I've got a pretty good one."

When neither said anything, it was Ruby who had to pipe up, "Are you guys going to tell us, or what?"

Opal jumped. "What? Oh, uh— _ahem_. It's a distress signal. Homeworld set them up all over the Earth when they were taking over. Just in case something went topsy-turvy and the ones on the ground couldn't get through."

Steven looked back up at the sky. The blue flames had all but swallowed the clouds now. Looking towards the horizon, he saw that the sunrise turned it green. He could definitely see how this signal was efficient.

"So...Ugh." Ruby slapped a hand to her forehead, and then dragged it up into her hair. "What, Jasper actually managed to get one of those going? They're thousands of years old!"

"So is Jasper," countered Opal. "She might have been here before they were."

Steven asked, "Do you think Homeworld would actually see this?"

Opal let out a long, heavy sigh. One hand dragged down her cheek. "If they're actually trying to get this planet taken care of once and for all, yes. If we're just a nuisance and they still think Jasper's taking care of us, then no. Best not to play it safe."

Ruby was not going to simmer down anytime soon. She drew her foot back and kicked at the railing, so hard that a chunk flew off and sailed far down to the sand below.

"I didn't need this," she growled out. "I  _really_  didn't need this today..."

"No one did," Sapphire told her. Steven didn't know if she was trying to be snappy or not. Either way, he only just then noticed the crossword book curled up in her right hand. "But it's happening and it needs to be taken care of."

"Yeah,  _I know that_. I'm not saying—"

"Okay!" Opal put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and one on Sapphire's, and for that, Steven was grateful. Ruby and Sapphire had not had a fight for months. The last thing anyone needed was them devolving back into old habits right now. "Let's all keep our heads and stay focused."

"Uh..."

Opal turned to him, wide-eyed—she must have forgotten he was there for a second—and asked, "Yes?"

Steven's tongue curled up in his mouth.

He figured, at this time, he and the others would be up for a tense but otherwise normal day. Heck, he'd probably be sitting at the kitchen island with a bowl of cereal by now. He had been planning to tell them about Star as soon as possible, but now that seemed out of the question. The Gems were already so on edge, it'd be like fanning a fire.

So, instead of telling him of the person who lived in his dreams, he asked, "Do you know where the distress signals are coming from?"

"Yes," said Opal. Then she hesitated. "Yes?" She nodded. "Yes."

Ruby raised a brow. "Yes?"

 _"Yes."_  A hand not resting on her friends' shoulders pointed upwards. "But! None of them have a Warp Pad very close. So this is going to be one long mission."

"Come on, Steven," said Sapphire, "I'll help you pack."

"I'll get some food," said Opal.

"I'm going to go punch something," said Ruby.

* * *

The next half-hour passed by with no problem, but Steven kept his mouth shut. He mused that he would probably need to wait a few  _days_  before bringing up Star. He couldn't wait too long—it was going to be a  _while_  before all the Crystal Gems were at peace. So for the time being, he continued to fold and pack with Sapphire, while Opal carefully prepared several meals and the distant sound of fists connecting with rock echoed outside.

Sapphire rolled a sleeping bag as tight as it could possibly be and wrapped it up. She set it beside the bagged-up tent and said, "Okay. Tell me what we have."

"Okay. We have: three shirts, one sweater, three pairs of jeans, a pair of flip-flops, a pair of sneakers, a pair of boots, two pairs of gloves, a scarf, earmuffs, two jackets, five pairs of socks, underwear, an umbrella, my toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, a comb, my phone, a flashlight, some rope, an inflatable raft, a life jacket, a pack of batteries, pajamas, a pillow, a sleeping bag, a tent, my Cheeseburger Backpack, and my Hot Dog Duffel."

"And?"

"A positive attitude."

"That's my boy."

Steven looked around at the mountain of items that took up his loft. "There's no way I'm fitting all of this in my junk-food luggage. Hey, Opal? Do you have any more room in there?"

Opal slid in one last packed meal into her Gem. There had been a whole stack before, now gone. "Hm? Oh, yeah! I'm coming."

She joined them up in the loft—with great difficulty, considering it was already cramped. But the problem was taken care of quickly, as Opal grabbed one item after another and shoved it into the Gem in her forehead. She did it so quickly; at some point she all but tossed the flashlight into her face for her Gem to swallow it up.

The larger items were all that remained when Ruby finally returned. She wasn't giving off a heat shimmer anymore, thankfully, but she was far from zen. She still had her gauntlets on her hands, and only when she saw the others did she let them flicker away into her Gem.

"Are we ready?"

"I think we are." With all four arms, Opal scooped up everything in the loft, including Sapphire and Steven, and brought them down to the floor. "I just want everyone to remember that this mission is going to take a lot of patience."

Ruby was already stomping her way to the Warp Pad. "Patience is a dear friend of mine."

"I'm not going to have any problems," Steven told Opal. He shrugged his Cheeseburger Backpack off his shoulder and zipped open the tomato. "I brought everything I need to stay entertained—books, CD player, puzzles...I got everything I'll ever need!"

* * *

"Sapphire, I'm bored!"

"I'm sorry."

Steven threw his head back and groaned, all while keeping his feet marching forward. They were approximately twenty minutes into their journey.

Ruby, still walking, leaned around Sapphire to furrow one brow and raise the other. "I thought you brought everything you needed?"

"I can't read and walk at the same time, I've listened to all my music so much I don't like any of the songs anymore, and I did all the puzzles already because I have no self-control."

"Can't you just..." Ruby flapped a hand around. "Watch the clouds, or something?"

"We're in a cave."

"Watch the rocks, then!"

"Ruby," Sapphire snapped, but then her voice leveled. "Please."

"I—Ugh, I'm sorry, just..."

Ruby dug her fingers beneath her headband and took in a shuddering breath. Steven had not seen her so frustrated in a while. Whatever bad mood she had been in until now seemed calm compared to this. Not that Steven was at all blaming her. He just didn't like watching her be so upset; so sue him.

Sapphire seemed to share the same sentiment. Even when Ruby turned back around, Steven felt as though her eye was still on her.

(Now, Steven was unable to read minds, but in truth Sapphire was as concerned for Ruby as he was. She was not at all chipper herself. There wasn't much to smile about these last few days. But Ruby had always taken these things worse than her and Opal. Which was because—and she did feel some shame in not realizing this sooner, for all the times they had bared their teeth at each other—Ruby felt things stronger than the rest of them. She just didn't know what to say or do to help.)

Opal had not spoken much at all since they had departed. As she ducked and dodged the growths of rock from the cave walls, she seemed more in thought than frustrated. Her brow had not stopped furrowing.

(She was in thought, and of course only she knew the reason. She knew that Ruby was more wound up than a toy, Sapphire was just as unhappy as the rest of them, and Steven just plain wasn't having fun and probably wasn't going to on this trip. She knew that it was up to her to make sure this went as smoothly as possible. One accident, one ill turn of luck, and it would just be an extra kick in the stomach.)

Ruby tripped on a rock, and would have fallen forward on her face if she had not caught her balance at the last second. As she was trailing behind Opal, she did not see Sapphire and Steven reach out behind her. Just the little bit of embarrassment was enough for her belly to blaze, and she had to all but hold her breath just to keep it in.

(Ruby's feelings had many reasons and a great deal of intensity in them. She was very, very, very frustrated and that was all that could really be said.)

Steven figured then that he wasn't the only one in need of a good distraction. So as he squeezed through a gap in the stone, he called out, "Hey, Ruby, come back here!"

Ruby did give a wary "What?", but only after slowing down to fall in step beside him. Sapphire took her place behind Opal, and gave the two one last glance before going on and trying her best not to eavesdrop.

"Let's do something to pass the time," said Steven.

Ruby sighed, though not unkindly. "Steven, if I could make walking entertaining, I would be the happiest Gem on this planet."

"Well,  _I_ can. So that makes me that happiest Gem on the planet." Ruby only gave him a very perplexed look, and finally he just told her, "Here."

A small, loose rock was in the path ahead, and once they got to it, Steven kicked. It clacked forward, bouncing three times and almost hitting Sapphire's skirt. Steven held Ruby back when they came up to it.

"Now you," he said.

Ruby kicked it, and then Steven, and then Ruby.

"So?"

Ruby shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, it's something."

"Keep going. You'll get it soon."

So Ruby kicked it again, then Steven, then Ruby, then Steven, then Ruby, then Steven, then Ruby, then Sapphire, then Steven, then Ruby, then Steven.

Ruby kicked again, and finally she sighed, "Okay, I still don't get it."

"It's okay. We're done now."

Ruby raised her eyes and jumped. At some point, the cave had turned into a wide plain of stone, a dark sky above.

"I—wh—how—"

"Mm-hm."

"W-When...I didn't even—"

"Now you get it."

"How long?"

"Two hours."

"Wow."

"Mm-hm."

"Hey, you two," Opal called from up ahead, "I know you two are appreciating the wonder of rock-kicking, but we have reached our first destination."

Steven and Ruby both walked forward, as if they even needed a better view. There was nothing else to look at but the spire of rock ahead. The base was swimming in a pool of what could have been magma or tar, but either way, was steaming hot. Steven hadn't realized how warm it was until then—there were puddles of the stuff all around them. Even though the sky was dark with  _something_ , the blue flames were present as ever.

For good reason, because its source was just up ahead. The very top of the spire, up and up above, held what looked to Steven like a four-pointed Star embedded in the stone. Each point of the star held a different color—white, pink, blue, and yellow. The blue one was lit up bright, and from it the flames erupted into the sky.

Opal let out a low whistle. "You know, for a place called Homeworld, they only ever go big."

Sapphire looked around them, then looked where the others couldn't. Just a few dozen looks was enough for her to bite back a sigh.

"Jasper isn't here," she told them. "She's gone."

Ruby stomped her foot down and huffed a breath hot enough to let out steam. She knew that finding Jasper had not exactly been the point of this mission. More so, it was just keeping the signal from bringing in Homeworld. Still, she'd been hoping to take care of the orange brute once and for all, and felt just a few seconds away from crying out, "It isn't fair!"

"So what do we need to do?" asked Steven. He tugged his shirt away from his chest, stretching out the collar. "I'm not trying to be impatient, but I am very toasty right now."

"Stand back," Opal told him.

Steven, Ruby, and Sapphire dutifully took a few steps back from her while her bow appeared in her hands. Bracing her toes apart, Opal tilted the bow upwards, pulled back the bowstring, and braced herself. The arrow she summoned was as much as she could manage right now—neon blue and hot as fire. She fired, and it sailed.

It didn't even take a second. A deep shockwave ran through the ground, shaking Steven's bones, and dark blue smoke filled the air. It reeked like sulfur, and even the others coughed at it.

Then something wrapped itself around Steven's middle and all but pinned him down. He couldn't stop himself from letting out a cry, though thankfully he was in no danger. It was just Opal, who had done the same to Ruby and Sapphire (although with much less grace for the latter, whom she had to grab basically by the face.)

Steven had to push himself out of Opal's grasp to see what had happened. The first thing he saw was her bow, which she had dropped in her haste. It blinked away just a moment later.

The second thing he saw was the distress signal, which had been broken away from the stone but remained as intact as ever. Steven understood now why Opal had tackled them all to the ground—it had rolled right to where they had stood, and the blue fire was still shooting up into the air. It didn't even give off heat, it felt, though Steven did not doubt that they did not wish to brush against the blaze.

The distress signal rolled backwards without its stream ever breaking. It rolled back up the spire, its points propelling it forward, and even the missing top did not stop it. It simply floated up with no problem and resumed its place, stone or not.

Ruby pushed herself up to her feet, unamused. "Of course. Because when can things ever be easy? Let me try."

Opal began, "Ruby—"

"Just—let me."

Opal didn't interrupt again as Ruby took a great leap over the pool of molten goo and latched onto the spire's edge. Steven watched as she navigated her way up the rocky sides.

Opal, meanwhile, looked down at Sapphire. "How's it looking for us?"

"We aren't going to find Jasper here," Sapphire repeated. "The more time stretches forward, the more possibilities come— _but_ , most likely she'll just move onto the next signals."

"Of course," sighed Opal. "Now, be honest with me—can Ruby actually take care of this?"

" _Anything_  is a possibility. But if we're only considering likelihood, no. Very much no."

Steven leaned in a little bit to whisper. "We should let her get it out of her system."

"Agreed." "Mm."

* * *

EXACTLY SIXTEEN AND A HALF MINUTES LATER

* * *

Ruby still had her gauntlets on her hands when she returned back to the group, but in mere seconds had pulled them both off and threw them down to the ground. They burst in a hot red flash. Ruby looked like she wished to do much the same, but instead just crossed her arms and plopped down with her legs folded.

"So," said Steven—who had opened up a Sudoku book and erased all the numbers just so he could do it again. "How did it go?"

Ruby's head whipped to him, fast enough to tousle the ends of her headband, and jabbed her hand up at the still-very-present-and-wholly-unharmed distress signal still blazing blue.

"Oh," Steven murmured, and Ruby crossed her arms again.

Sapphire—who had a crossword and was struggling to find the answer for 'a four-letter word meaning to quiet someone' but refused to cheat with her future vision—stood up to her feet whilst pushing the book back into Opal's palm. "The longer this takes, the more likely Homeworld is to respond."

"Yes, Sapphire." Ruby's gaze was very flat. "In other news,  _water is wet_."

Steven cut in, "Actually—"

"Steven, I love you, but I don't have the strength to have this conversation again."

"Right; sorry."

Opal—who had pulled some yarn and needles from her Gem and was trying to knit as close to a leather jacket as she could, but only now realized she was going to have to add two extra sleeves—pushed herself up to her toes. They could have very well been too late already, but they weren't about to turn tail and go home.

"Does anyone have any ideas?" she asked the group.

Ruby only mumbled, "No."

"Understood. Sapphire?"

"I'm thinking."

"Acceptable. Steven?"

"What if we do that thing they do in cartoons where they sing so high and for so long that everything breaks?"

"Hilarious but misguided. Sapphire?"

Sapphire did not answer for an unusually long time—long enough for Ruby to give her a sideways look. Steven himself did not know how long it took to sort through hundreds of possibilities like Sapphire could, but Sapphire usually answered within seconds. Now, however, Steven almost wanted to say that she was lost in thought.

She was, though for why, she wasn't about to say out loud.

...Well, no, she was. Honesty was part of her job.

"The only fast way I can see any of this progressing is fusion."

And just like that, a bomb had gone off between all four of them, and they were left to deal with the aftershocks. For Steven, it was a mix of excitement and wariness. Fusion, of course, remained a wonder for him and probably always would. On the other hand, the memory of Moonstone trying to squash Ruby like a bug was still on his mind.

"Alright," sighed Opal at last. Though she tried to keep her hands steady, one wandered to a side-tail of her hair. "Sapphire, what say you?"

Sapphire's eye widened behind her hair. She had been keeping her hands clasped at her chest, per her usual stance, but now her fingers gripped each other tight. Steven was the only one who noticed, but didn't comment on it.

"No," Sapphire said at last.

Opal's lips pursed a bit, but she nodded. "Alright."

"I...just don't see a future where things don't get out of hand. After what happened last time, I don't want to..."

"I understand. We tend to get caught in the moment when we're together...We thought we could control ourselves last time, but we didn't. Just know that...we'll work on it, okay?"

Sapphire nodded and said nothing more.

Now Opal turned to look down at Ruby and simply asked, "What about you, Rue?"

Ruby looked up at her quick, then ducked her gaze back down to her hands. "I, uh...I don't think Garnet's going to be much help. Not if you couldn't do anything, I mean..."

"That's what I was thinking. Which is why I'm thinking  _we could_  be much help."

Steven immediately felt a spark of excitement in his belly, but when his mouth opened to suck in a gasp of air, he had to force it down. He'd wondered time and again what Opal and Ruby's fusion looked like, acted like, but right now, he was trying to keep his composure. Trying to be a bit more "mature."

Ruby's head snapped up at Opal. Her mouth was hanging open just a bit, and when she finally got the sense to shut it, her teeth made a quiet 'clack' together.

"I, uh..." Ruby cleared her throat. It was almost unbelievable that she had been literally fuming with rage just a few minutes ago. "I mean, I'm okay with it, but if you don't want to, that's fine. We can try to figure something out if you're only asking because you think we have to, and I don't want you to think we have to, I don't want you to feel forced or anything like that, so—"

"Ruby."

"Yeah?"

Opal kneeled down and set a hand atop Ruby's fluff of dark hair. The little red Gem blinked up at her in response.

"We can do it," Opal told her. "You and me."

"Yeah," Ruby whispered. "Right."

"Okay." Opal stood to her full height once more. Ruby moved as if to do the same, but she was already standing as straight as an arrow, so if anything she just stood up on her tip-toes. "Sapphire, Steven, if you would."

Steven nodded and took a step back, despite the fact that he was dancing with joy inside. Sapphire—who had had no reaction to the situation, and even now gave an unusual lifting-her-skirt-with-both-hands bow—followed suit.

Opal and Ruby stood apart and bowed at each other. Three Gems, white, lavender, and red, lit up as bright as stars. Steven pursed his lips to keep from squealing.

Opal took the first move, raising two hands above her head and arching her back as far as she could. Two other hands were held before her with their palms raised to the sky. Opal spun forward again and again in the most elegant of pirouettes, and when she finally came to a still, it was with all four palms extended out to Ruby.

Now came Ruby, and though she too turned in a pirouette, it was with such speed that she became a red blur. Steven had forgotten that he had never truly seen Ruby dance before. There was nothing elegant about it, all energy. Without stopping, she fell to her knees, only to rise again, backwards, without so much as a push of her hands.

Opal's hands started to fly all about her head so quickly that Steven could not keep up with them, all while walking forward with her hips swaying side-to-side. Here Ruby seemed to almost stalk forward. Her hands, too, moved above, in a way that was much slower but somehow still full of energy. Suddenly, she turned in one fluid spin and fell to the ground with one leg pointed upwards.

Opal reached down and took her by the hand, pulling her up while at the same time spinning her. Steven could not even tell who moved first—one second both Opal and Ruby were dancing and the next they had melted together in a mass of fluid white light.

What came next was unlike anything Steven had ever seen before—partly because he didn't actually see it. There was an explosion. Steven didn't even have time to scream before peach-colored flames came at him in a wave, yet he was not burned for a second. Sapphire didn't even so much as flinch. The only parts of her that moved were her hair and her skirts that billowed in the blast.

Steven's vision was obscured by stars for a few moments, and trying to wipe them away didn't help any. While his eyes were covered by his palms, something soft and warm—almost hot—rested against his side.

"Sorry about that. I like to make an entrance."

Steven's eyes finally gained their clarity once more, and he found himself staring at something very large and peachy. It took him a second to realize that it was a hand—one with a pinkish-red Gem in its palm. The hand led to an elbow, the elbow led to a shoulder that split in two, and then Steven was looking at a pair of bright yellow eyes.

The hand snapped its fingers, which, so close to Steven, sounded more like a deep  _thump_. "You still there, kid?"

Steven made himself blink. "Yes, ma'am."

A snort. "Don't. You're going to make me feel old."

The fusion drew itself up to its full height, which had to be at least thirty feet. Steven didn't know what to call the garment she wore—one-piece, deep red, with no sleeves and loose legs. Her shoes were apricot-colored with a single red band around the toes. White bandages wrapped around her waist, same as her calves. Other than the headband around her forehead, that was it.

Steven felt words bubbling up behind his lips, and the least-immature of them was "You look like a ninja!"

The fusion raised a brow, which was oddly white with orange spots because…oh. Her eyebrows were actually a second pair of eyes. "Ninjas wished they looked like  _me._ "

Steven looked her up and down, trying to find the Opal and Ruby in her. Ruby was obvious—peachy skin, fluffy sand-colored hair, the headband, the muscles in her four arms that split at the shoulder, and, of course, the Gem in her hand. For Opal, it was the aquiline nose, the plump lower lip, the ponytail that seemed to just barely contain the fluffiness, the small Gem in her forehead, and the one in the middle of a star-shaped hole in her chest. But as for the white and orange freckles that covered her face and shoulders, those seemed entirely her own.

Sapphire raised a hand and waved it once. "Hello, Sunstone."

Sunstone shifted her yellow eyes to her, as though she had not noticed her before, and a lazy little half-smirk came to her lips. "Hey, Blue. Long time, no see."

A fist descended down and stopped right in front of Sapphire. Even though it was bigger than she was, Sapphire bumped her fist against it.

Sunstone knelt down with one elbow on her knee and a hand on her hip. With one orange eye raised, she assessed Steven intently, but not unkindly. "So this is the Steve-man. Nice to meet ya, kid. Look forward to doing business with ya."

She held out a finger to him, and he shook it without taking his eyes off of her.

Sunstone frowned. "You got something you want to say, kid?"

Steven nodded.

"Well, go ahead. We're all friends here."

Steven sucked in a deep breath and let it all out. "You're really cool and I'm really happy to meet you I've been waiting for a really long time to see you but I didn't want to ask Opal and Ruby to fuse just for funsies but I'm really happy either way and the only reason I'm not freaking out right now is because I'm trying to be mature but I guess saying all of this is kind of defeating that purpose but also you asked me to be honest and I'm being honest so please don't think I'm in any way childish or undeserving of being here."

Sunstone hummed. "Honesty is a virtue. And I'm very flattered. So be impressed as much as you want."

Steven obediently let out a delighted squeal.

"There you go." Sunstone stood back up once more and clapped her palms together. Instantly, bandages appeared around her palms and fingers. "Now, I'm glad we all know each other, but uh…I think I've got myself a mission, yeah? So if I may…"

Steven and Sapphire both nodded to her.

Opal's bow was the first to appear in Sunstone's hands, same as ever, only larger. Ruby's gauntlet appeared on another hand, and with it she snapped the bowstring free. Somehow, the gauntlet stayed with the string even as Sunstone pulled her hand back, and both weapons came together in a quick flash of peach light. The bow was an orange handle covered in white stars, the bowstring a thick white band, and the gauntlet the ball of a morningstar, dark red and covered in spikes as sharp as a razor.

Sunstone cast a look over her freckled shoulder at Steven. "Anything to declare?"

Steven squealed again.

"Thank you. Now, Steven, let me give you five rules to a good mission, yeah? First, always keep your weapon at the ready. Second, there's no time for hesitation when it comes to accomplishing your mission."

Sunstone crouched and jumped, and that was all she needed. Whereas Ruby had had to crawl up the spire like an ant, Sunstone soared up the entire length of it without problem. In fact, on the way up, her voice carried down to the two below her.

"Third, know what you're going to do before you go into action."

Sunstone didn't even stop looking down at them while she grabbed hold of the rock spire. She halted at once, almost as if physics itself was at her will. And none too soon; she stopped right at the top, just beneath the hovering distress signal. The blue jet of flame gave Sunstone a lavender outline.

"Four, don't hold back on your target."

Sunstone reared her arm back, and the Morningstar swung with it. But it did not immediately swing forward—in fact, Sunstone kept it still for several moments while she considered something.

"As a side-note, it doesn't hurt to have some style!"

The Morningstar swung, and a blue sun burst above Sapphire and Steven's heads. Sunstone did not even so much as flinch as the distress signal shattered into a million pieces and sent a barrage of colorful flames firing everywhere. The sky settled instantly, leaving only a few cobalt wisps and the disturbed clouds behind them. Steven readied himself for the debris, but they never came. The shards of the distress signal turned into nothing more than sparkling snow that scattered peacefully through the air, until one by one they blinked away like fireflies.

When all had come back to peace, Sunstone only lifted two fingers to her mouth. A toothpick appeared between her lips at once.

Sunstone kicked off the spire and sailed far, far, far down below, yet somehow landed with all grace and no trouble. She didn't even so much as brace her hand on impact, instead just keeping her wrists on her knees while she chewed on her toothpick.

"Five," she continued, "Know when your job is done."

She raised her morningstar once more and swung it down hard. It burst the second it touched the ground, leaving only a quick flash of flame behind it and nothing else.

The only way to keep down another squeal was for Steven to instead cry out, "I love you, Sunstone!"

Sunstone smiled at him, a lazy, eyes-half-lidded one that was amused but warm. "See ya soon, kid." She turned to Sapphire and gave her a two-finger salute. "You, too, Blue. We really need to catch up."

"Sure," said Sapphire.

"Alright, I'm outta here," Sunstone declared. "Excelsior!"

One last, final explosion of smoke and fire, and then Sunstone was gone.

Opal and Ruby had returned to them, both sitting on the ground with wide-eyed expressions and their knees pointing up. They both stood to their feet, not quite unsteady, not quite balanced. If anything, they looked like they were coming down from a rush.

Steven whooped so suddenly that even Sapphire flinched at the sound. He couldn't stop himself from running forward and all but tackling Ruby in a hug. The red Gem's arms flailed about helplessly.

"You guys are so coooooool!" He tried to do the same to Opal, but only succeeded in barreling into her leg with little effect. "I knew you would be, but  _man!_  You guys should do that more often!"

Opal and Ruby both looked at one another, almost surprised, and then they were both laughing.

"We still got it," chuckled Ruby.

Opal reached down and gave her a punch on the arm. "You bet your Gem we do!"

Sapphire took in the scene quietly. She had known how it was going to play out, of course. Well, technically, she had seen the many, many ways it could have played out, but they had all been so similar: Sunstone would come, be efficient, Steven would be amazed, Sunstone would leave, the end. So no, she was not upset. She had no reason to be.

In fact, mustering up some good sportsmanship, she took a handful of her skirt in one hand and walked forward.

"Amazing as ever," she told them. She smiled. She didn't know if it looked real or not. "Good job."

Steven looked around at the three smiling faces around him, and paused. Everyone, for the first time that day, and maybe the first time that week, was smiling. In a good mood. He considered that three things might happen. One, he could tell them about Star, and it would go smoothly, because the problem for the day was taken care of and the Gems could realize that it wasn't nearly as big a deal as they might think. Or two, he could tell them about Star, and it would go terribly, because it would bring them spiraling back down to reality, remind them that the good moment was only fleeting.

Or third, he could not tell them at all—which was the route that he travelled down, though not because he gave it any thought.

Light shined down from above, and all four Crystal Gems lifted their heads to the sky. The flames had returned once more, but they naturally weren't coming from the destroyed distress signal, and they certainly weren't blue. Instead, it was neon yellow, as close to actual fire as it could be. The clouds once again were sent scattering.

Steven could have kicked himself for forgetting that their mission was far from over. Sapphire, as well.

Opal let out a long sigh. "I should've guessed Jasper would be working ahead of us. Probably she's already on her way to another one."

Ruby hummed. "I guess we should go to the nearest Warp Pad and take it from there?"

"It'll be quite a walk," replied Opal.

Ruby scoffed, but smiled. "Nothing we can't handle. Let's get hoofing!"

They fell back into their line, Opal, Ruby, Sapphire, then Steven. But only ten feet along, Ruby rushed forward to stand by Opal, talking to her about technique, wondering if Sunstone was still a sharpshooter with the bow. Opal, in response, lifted Ruby up and let her sit on her shoulder while she retorted that Sunstone's strength was her greatest, well,  _strength_ , so maybe they would take a shot at the gauntlets the next go-round.

Steven stepped forward to walk alongside Sapphire. "You and Sunstone seem cool."

"Hm? Oh, yes. She's very...efficient at her job."

Steven knew something else was resting on Sapphire's mind, but he could only guess at what it was. He imagined seeing Sunstone take care of everything in a few mere moments was making her memories of Moonstone uncomfortable at best and guilt-ridden at worst.

"Well," he said, "I bet you Moonstone has some skills I didn't get to see, right?"

Sapphire's lips pursed together. "I don't want to talk about Moonstone right now."

Steven's lips shut together at once. "Oh."

Up ahead, Opal laughed at something Ruby said, her breath drawing in with a snort. While the yellow flames continued to blaze through the sky, Steven was left guessing if things were very good or very bad.

* * *

"So what did they say?"

Star appeared so suddenly that Steven almost yelped. Of course, no one remembered the exact second they fell asleep. Still, one second he was snuggling into his sleeping bag inside his small tent, cicadas chirping beyond the vinyl, and the next he was here, standing in the midst of what could have been a forest, thousands of white birch trees with midnight-colored leaves, but with a great sparkling chandelier dangling overhead.

Steven sucked in air between his teeth. "I didn't get to tell them today. Just...there's a lot going on, and I didn't want to overwhelm them, you know?"

Star honestly sounded a bit too relieved to hear this. "I understand. Don't worry too much about it."

"Thanks. Hey, Star, can I ask you something?"

"I don't see why not."

Steven took a seat on a stump. Star glided closer.

"Sapphire seemed upset about Sunstone today," said Steven. "I think she still feels guilty about what happened back when she fused with Opal into Moonstone. They lost control and wouldn't stop. But Opal doesn't feel bad about it. What do you think?"

Star hummed. "Well, I will begin by saying that you are the only person I believe I have ever spoken to. So take my advice regarding interactions with others with a grain of salt."

"Salt taken. Continue."

"I felt guilty about what I did to you before. But I know you forgave me. Even though I'm trying to make up for it, when I think about it, I still have regret. It can't be helped. I believe, whatever happened between Sapphire and Opal and Moonstone and Sunstone and whoever else I've never met before, that Sapphire will understand that everything is okay. Just give her some time."

Steven nodded. "That's good advice, for someone who's only ever talked to one person before."

"Thank you. Who knows? Perhaps the next time this Sunstone appears, Sapphire won't be so upset."

* * *

Sapphire still seemed upset about it the next time Sunstone appeared.

The next distress signal was, essentially, on the other side of the planet. It was a far cry from the volcanic terrain from before. Now the Crystal Gems were in a field of golden wheat that seemed to go on and on and on, neverending, the wind sending out golden ripples. Far off in the distance, yellow hills rose and fell. The yellow flames almost looked like a reflection of the land below.

The distress signal, judging by the large, gaping hole of upturned dirt, had once been buried underground. By the time the Gems arrived, it was almost touching the clouds, erupting a neon jet from one of its four points.

Opal and Ruby had turned to each other without even speaking, and in just a few seconds, they had danced, fused, and brought Sunstone back once more. Sunstone yet again gave Sapphire and Steven calm but kind greetings before summoning her morningstar into her grasp and leaping into action. The distress signal was destroyed in a blast of yellow light and smoke.

Sapphire watched it all happen with a carefully neutral face. Steven found himself in awe of Sunstone's splendor and concern at Sapphire's more-so-than-usual quietness.

"Alright, you two," Sunstone had called down as she began to fall back to the ground, "See you soon."

She exploded the sheer second her foot touched the earth. This time, Opal was holding Ruby in her arms, and neither looked so dazed as they were before. Both were smiling, in fact.

"Okay, okay," Ruby was saying before the smoke had fully dispersed, "Next time, let's do the dunk move! I love that one!"

"Only if we can do the home-run after that," Opal told her.

Steven himself was having trouble figuring out where this newfound tenderness between the two of them had come from. Then again, he supposed that was just what fusion was like. He and Connie had certainly gained a new level of comradery by Stevonnie (before everything went topsy-turvy, that is.) And besides, after their little competition on the training grounds, it was a welcoming sight.

What happened next was just as Sapphire expected—the sky was once more lit with flame, now silvery white. Steven thought that they almost looked like wiry clouds like this.

He huffed. "Jasper really is a hundred steps ahead of us, huh?"

"There's only two more," Opal told him. "Who knows? Maybe we'll catch her this time."

And so the day continued, much the same as the one before: Opal and Ruby walked and talked, Sapphire was quiet, and Steven was left to his own thoughts and nothing more.

The next distress signal was somewhere on the coastline down south, though exactly where Steven wasn't told. The four of them had to walk through the fields of wheat back to the Warp Pad, and after that, from the Warp Pad to the distress signal—all of which took most of the day, because Opal wasn't kidding. The Warp Pads were very spaced-out from the distress signals.

Walking along the coast felt familiar—the sand between his toes, the rolling of the waves. Without the thick green jungle behind them, it would have been just like home. The sky darkened from blue to gold to red to pink to purple until the stars were out. The white flames remained, of course, and at night they were as bright as the sun. The stark white light was very creepy, at least to Steven.

"Alright," said Opal, drawing to a stop. "Here's what I'm thinking."

Sapphire raised her hand Gem-up.

"Oh...Yes, Sapphire?"

Sapphire's hand came back to her chest. "You think that you and Ruby should go ahead to the next distress signal while I stay here with Steven because he's getting tired and it would be best for him to rest."

Opal blinked at her for a moment. "Well...I was going to say that we could go ahead and stop so Steven could have dinner, then keep going...But that's a much better idea! Great thinking, Sapphire!"

Sapphire did not say something for a very long moment. If her bangs were not obscuring it, the others would have seen her eye give one, slow, regretful, why-did-I-open-my-big-mouth blink. "Thanks."

Ruby patted Opal on the leg. "Let's get going! If we have a chance of catching Carrot-Nose, I want to take it!"

"Right." Opal swooped up Ruby and once again rested her on her shoulder. Sternly but kindly, she pointed at Sapphire and Steven, while another hand reached up into Pearl's Gem. "Stay here and get some rest. We'll be back soon enough."

Opal withdrew a packed lunch, the sleeping bag, and the tent, setting them down before the other two Gems. And with that, she and Ruby darted away, leaving a gust of sand in their wake. Sapphire and Steven were left alone, with the trickling of the waves the only sound to stop silence. A single firefly buzzed by them.

"They're having fun," Steven said in a desperate attempt to break the ice.

"Indeed."

 _The passive-aggressiveness is strong in this one,_ Steven thought to himself.

He and Sapphire made quick work setting camp. Sapphire set up the tent with ease, while Steven found some branches dry enough for a fire. Without Ruby around, he pulled some matches out of his backpack to light it. They didn't really need it—it was warm enough, and his supper of a sandwich and chips didn't need to be warmed—but it felt like a staple of a campground, so Sapphire didn't protest.

"Besides," Steven said as he once again dug into his Cheeseburger Backpack, "How else are we going to make the best s'mores on the planet?"

Surely, he thought,  _this_  would get Sapphire in a good mood. How could s'mores not? He set up the bag of marshmallows, the box of graham crackers, and the pack of chocolate between them. Both of them got an unwound wire coat hanger, and then it was just them, the crackling of the fire, and the fiery sky above.

Steven didn't mean to brag, but he was a master in the art of s'more making, and with some careful wristwork, he pulled his marshmallow away from the flames at the perfect level of golden brown.

"Have you ever seen something so beautiful?" he sighed. "How's yours coming, Sapph?"

Looking over, he got his answer. Sapphire's marshmallow had become a wad of blue and red flames, shriveling blacker and blacker. Eventually, it fell off the hanger and landed with a sizzling  _splat_  in the coals. Sapphire didn't say a thing. She just reached for another, held it over the fire, and watched as it, too, combusted.

"Uh..." Steven cleared his throat. "Do you—?"

"I'm not upset." Sapphire stuffed another marshmallow onto her hanger, already covered in gooey sugar. "So there's nothing that I need to talk about."

"Okay. Well. Uh...I was just going to ask if you needed some help. So you don't scorch all your 'mallows."

Sapphire turned her head at him and did not speak for a long moment. Then she let out an annoyed sigh. "I'm being awfully presumptuous today."

"I mean, if I could see the future, I would be presumptuous all the time."

Sapphire didn't say anything to that, instead putting her hanger down in the sand. The sky was still rippling with white fire. She could see the moon behind its web.

"Maybe I  _should_  talk," she murmured more to herself than to Steven.

"Good!" Steven quickly shoved his marshmallow between two graham crackers. "Talking is good. Very good. What is it you wish to talk about?"

Sapphire had been sitting on her legs until then, and shifted so that her belly was against the sand. She propped her chin in her palms, looking more like a thoughtful teenager than a millennium-old being from outer space. She kept her gaze on the flickering campfire.

"I lied to Opal," she said at last.

"Uh...Oh. Okay, uh...What did you lie about? If you don't mind me asking?"

"I told her that I didn't see a future where Moonstone didn't lose control. Which was a lie. I saw several outcomes where she stayed in control. Many of them. I just told her that so..."

"So...?"

"So she didn't think I was desperate?" Sapphire sighed. "You've never fused with Opal before, but...It's comforting. It doesn't just make you feel stronger, it makes you feel... _safe_. Pearl and Amethyst are so close with one another, fusing with Opal lets you feel that."

"I think I get it," said Steven. His marshmallow was going cold in his s'more, but he gave it no mind. "I mean, when Connie and I were Stevonnie, it felt good like that."

"I think that's why Moonstone wouldn't leave last time. I could've stopped myself this time, but I don't know...it was several things."

"Like what?"

"I don't want Opal to catch on and think I'm using her. Or that Moonstone distracts me. And...I don't know, I figured that if Ruby could get that comfort, maybe she would relax a little. But that would  _also_  be using Opal, and..." Sapphire ran gloved fingers through her bangs, flashing an exhausted blue eye. "Yeah."

"Well...I think that's really mature of you." Steven finally took a bite of his s'more. At the worst time possible, too, because Sapphire turned to him. He had to talk with his mouthful. "I mean...You're saying that you feel guilty about a couple things, but you're owning up to it. You said 'no'. That counts for something."

"I guess so." Sapphire tossed a handful of sand into the fire, where it crackled. "I do wish I could make it up to Opal, though."

"Moonstone wasn't your fault."

"It was at least partially." She shrugged. "This should all be over by tomorrow. Thank you for listening, but...I think I'll be fine."

"Alright. Let me know if I can help."

"I will," she said, and reached over to make an actual s'more.

The distress signal, wherever it was, continued to give off the white fire long after they had set the sweets away. They tried to entertain themselves by playing tic-tac-toe in the sand, but boredom and a long day's journey had Steven crawling into the tent early. He didn't know what time it was and he didn't care to check. He used bottled water to brush his teeth.

"Okay, Sapph," he said with one hand on the zipper. "I'm hitting the hay. G'night."

"G'night."

He zipped the flap after that, and crawled into his sleeping bag without bothering to change into his pajamas first. The top of the tent was lined with mesh, and he could see the silvery night sky beyond it. It made him think of Star, and though he felt guilt for still not telling the Gems about them, he knew that he would be seeing them very soon.

Steven turned over and snuggled in. Soon, his eyelids grew heavy, sound faded quieter, and he felt himself sinking lower and lower into sleep.

—Only to be jerked awake.

"Whositwhatsit?!" He shot up in his sleeping bag before he understood what was happening. His brain and body were still disconnected.

Sapphire's hand pulled away from his shoulder. "I think I know how you can help. How  _we_  can help."

"Uh..." Steven pushed himself up and rubbed at his eyes. Beyond the mesh, he saw that the sky was still lit up white, though he supposed that wasn't so surprising. He probably hadn't been out for very long at all. "Okay. What is it?"

"Jasper's going to turn on the next distress signal once this one is out," said Sapphire, "So she's probably waiting there right now. If we go there, we could catch her!"

It made sense to Steven; it would certainly be killing two birds with one stone.

"But, uh...I thought we're not supposed to go after Jasper alone?"

"We don't have to fight her." Sapphire leaned in closer to him, whispering as though there could possibly be an eavesdropper. "Jasper is using a ship from the Kindergarten to get from signal to signal. If we just get on  _that_ , then she'll have no chance against us."

"What if Jasper catches us before we can get on the ship?"

Sapphire did not say something for a very long stretch of silence.

Then she turned for the flap of the tent again. "This isn't a good idea. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry."

"No, no, no!" Steven scrambled out of the bag and reached for his shoes. He realized too late that he was putting each on the wrong foot, but with Sapphire watching, he had to pretend like he was functioning properly. "I'm not trying to shut you down, just—are you sure we can do it?"

"Anything is a possibility," Sapphire told him. "We could win or we could lose. But it's like that with everything. If you don't want to go, I won't force you. We don't even have to do anything to Jasper; we could just watch her and see if we can figure out what she's planning to do next."

Steven chewed on his lip for a second. He wanted to say that he thought himself capable enough for such a mission, but he knew that would be blatantly disregarding his doubts. He had come face-to-forehead with Jasper, and that was  _before_  they'd beaten her into the ground, sent her crashing down to Earth, and took away her only access to Homeworld. He didn't like to think what she would do to them  _now_.

But, as Sapphire said, they could very well  _not_  be noticed. Opal and Ruby might not appreciate their deviating from the plan, but maybe they could get the two to see reason. Anything was a possibility.

"Hold on," Steven told Sapphire, "Let me finish getting my shoes on."

"Okay," Sapphire said, then darted out of the tent. "Put on your warmest clothes!"

In the minute it took him to pull on everything, from an extra pair of jeans to a sweater to his gloves, he heard Sapphire moving around outside. The glow of the campfire blinked away.

Steven crawled out of the tent and saw Sapphire some fifteen feet away. She seemed to be stomping around the sand, dragging her feet. He could not tell for the life of him what she was possibly doing.

"I'm ready," he announced. She hurried in...whatever she was doing. "Should we leave a note for Ruby and Opal?"

"I'm already on it."

Steven looked down at her feet and finally saw that she was writing in the sand, from the trees to the shoreline. In quite a bit of detail.

OPAL AND RUBY,

STEVEN AND I ARE GOING TO SEE IF WE CAN CATCH JASPER AT THE NEXT DISTRESS SIGNAL. DON'T WORRY; WE ARE NOT GOING TO TRY AND FIGHT HER. WE JUST WANT TO SEE WHAT SHE'S DOING. STEVEN WILL BE PERFECTLY SAFE WITH ME. I WON'T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HIM.

\- SAPPHIRE

(It could be noted that this message was so big that the first letter started a few miles away.)

"Let's go," Sapphire said. That was her only warning before she reached down and plucked Steven off his feet. He was half in her arms and half over her shoulder when she took off running.

Being carried by a running Sapphire was much different than being carried by a running Opal. With Opal, it was smooth and steady, as if her feet were running on tracks. Sapphire, unfortunately, was a similar size to him. So even though Sapphire was fast, and even though the campsite shrunk away in mere seconds, Steven felt every kick of her legs, every step on the sand.

"Sa-a-a-a-a-ph-i-i-i-i-r-r-r-r-e?" he warbled over her shoulder. His voice honestly sounded like he was talking into a spinning fan. "I th-i-i-i-i-i-nk I'm go-o-o-i-i-ing to-o-o-o lo-o-o-o-o-se my di-i-i-i-i-n-e-e-e-e-r!"

Sapphire did not stop for one second. She just gave him a quick pat on the leg. "Let it out; I won't judge."

"N-o-o-o-o-ot what I me-e-e-e-a-a-a-nt bu-u-u-u-t o-o-o-k-a-a-a-a-ay, th-a-a-a-a-ank y-o-o-o-o-o-u-u."

Steven managed to keep it down, but in a mix of fatigue and motion-sickness, he seemed to lose his concept of time. He had no idea how long Sapphire carried him, how long the sun had been down. He did think it curious that the white fire was  _still_  blazing. Ruby and Opal must have left them a long ways from the distress signal.

He recalled that Sunstone was taking care of it, and felt some kind of disappointment. He really did like Sunstone; she was really cool, he thought. He wondered why she hadn't shown up on their missions more often. In any case, she wasn't the focus right now. Steven was sure he would see her again, but Jasper and Homeworld were of much higher and much direr importance.

Sapphire only set him down when they finally came back to the Warp Pad. His stomach was churning, but he forced himself to stand upright. Sapphire didn't say anything as the light surrounded them. Steven managed to stay upright as they lifted from the glass.

"What's our plan?" he asked her.

"We'll get there before the distress signal goes off," she replied. When he started to tilt back, she set a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not sure why, but we will. We'll be able to hide away and watch her. That's...really about it."

"And she  _might_  see us, and also might  _not_?"

"Anything is a possibility."

"And Homeworld might see the signals?"

"Anything is a possibility."

"Could a meteor might crash down on Jasper before she turns on the signal?"

"Anything is a possibility."

"Could Dinosaurs come back?"

"Anything. Possibility."

"Could we stop being friends?"

"Impossible." When the light began to come to a slow, Sapphire's hand on his shoulder tightened just a little. "It's going to be cold."

"Wouldn't be wearing ma mitt'ns otherwise." Steven wiggled his gloves at her. She wiggled hers back.

The Warp Pad finally calmed down, and they both touched back down to gravity.

Sapphire had not lied.

She had just sugar-coated it.

It was not cold.

It was  _ **cold.**_

The icy air consumed Steven like a beast. It stabbed right through his layers of clothing, right through his skin, down deep into his bones. His fingers and toes seemed to shrivel in. Frigid wind whipped into his eyes, biting at his nose and eyes. The earmuffs didn't feel like they were doing much at all.

His teeth were chattering, and his body was trembling. Just looking around was a feat. There were many towering trees, green beneath the blankets of frost they bore, but that was it. Besides that, it was just an eternity of snowy land leading to snowy hills underneath snowy clouds. The sky and earth were both so pale Steven almost couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

Snow settled in his curls, on his clothes. It looked like someone was powdering him with sugar. Sapphire, too, but, well, it was  _Sapphire_. She wore snowfall like it was jewelry.

Sapphire picked him up again, and (apparently having taken notes) kept him in front of her instead of over her shoulder. This next ride was much less sickening, but not to worry—it was made up for in the sharp wind that rushed by. Steven had to peek through Sapphire's hair just to see the ground walk by. It wasn't much of an experience; the wind whipped at his back while he watched Sapphire's tiny footprints leave a ribbon trailing behind him.

Sapphire had said they would get to the next distress signal before Sunstone destroyed the first. The white flames were apparently still blazing, but Steven couldn't tell. He was getting far too much white for his tastes.

Five minutes passed, ten, twenty, a hundred, a thousand, Steven didn't know. Sapphire still did not attempt to make small talk.

Eventually, she slowed down, sped up, and slowed down again. When at last she came to a stop, she set Steven onto his feet with gentleness. The snow was fluffy like cotton, but it  _scrunched_  under his shoes.

Sapphire pressed a finger to her lips and waved for him to walk, but one  _scrunch_  made her freeze. With a silent sigh, she wrapped her arms around Steven's middle. The two of them lifted off of the ground, hovering not even a foot, and Sapphire carried him forward without a sound.

Up ahead, Steven saw the final distress signal, though it was inactive. Along with the white-capped trees, the terrain now bore mountain rock, great, smooth boulders big enough to walk on, some ten feet tall. One was slanted like a ramp, and the distress signal hung high above its peak. It was so convenient, Steven wondered if someone had put the rock there themselves.

Sapphire set Steven down and tugged at his sleeve. One boulder had a gap at its bottom, leaving a mouth just big enough for two small people to hide in. Steven wasn't eager to crawl beneath a bone-crushingly-heavy rock and rest down on the snow, but it was a good lookout spot. Sapphire tucked herself in first, and he followed.

Steven looked out of the mouth warily. He could still see the distress signal, could still see the trees, but he didn't see any sign of Jasper, let alone the ship she was supposedly using.

He ducked his head over to Sapphire and whispered so quietly, he was almost breathing them out. "If Jasper has a ship, why doesn't she just go to Homeworld?"

"Because," answered Sapphire, "she's not finished with us yet."

He figured. That was the thing about Jasper that was so scary to Steven—Peridot, and Homeworld by extension, just saw them all as nuisances. Little pests to be taken care of. Jasper wanted to  _hurt_  them. She didn't just want them to go away, she wanted them to suffer first.

"Did Mom do something to Jasper?"

Sapphire had been watching the distress signal, and now turned her head to ask, "What?"

"I mean—it just sounds like maybe she's really mad at Mom  _specifically_? But I don't know what Mom could have done to make her so—"

Sapphire's hand pressed against his lips. The other pointed out into the snow.

Steven almost did not see it at first, not between the trees and the rocks. But then he did: a dark black square just pressed into the thin air like a sheet of paper. Steven could not understand what it was, because it had  _depth_. It was a hole inside of nothing.

Then a great, orange hand reached out of it and grabbed onto the side.

Steven almost stopped breathing.

First a blue boot, big enough to squash his skull like a pancake, touched down onto the snow. Then another hand, fiery red, came out just like the first. Then her face, jaw set tight and yellow eyes hard as stone, came from the darkness.

Jasper was as menacing as he remembered her. The orange and red of her skin could not be missed in all the white; it made her look bigger than she really was. Even her great mane of hair did not quite fit in—Steven had thought that it was white, but now he saw that it was a very pale shade of yellow.

Jasper still had her cobalt cape around her broad shoulders, and it flapped in the cold wind. Her boots left footprints like iron skillets in the snow. The way her thick brows were furrowed over her eyes, she seemed annoyed more than anything.

Jasper tilted her face upwards and narrowed her eyes up at the clouds. With an impatient huff, she reached for her bracelet, still bound around her thick wrist after all this time.

"The third distress signal has yet to stop," she grumbled into it. Steven got the feeling that she had been making an awful lot of these 'logs' lately. "I was right in assuming the rebels would try to eliminate any attempt to signal Homeworld. Then again, this might have all been for nothing. It took hundreds of years just to get them to think about getting rid of this planet once and for all. I doubt they're keeping an eye on it."

Jasper directed her gaze to the distress signal above her. "In any case, once the third signal stops, I'll know that they're coming. Consider this to be my  _fifth_  plan. Once they show up, I'll finally be able to take care of them once and for all. They won't even know what hit them."

Here Jasper stopped to look around her, as though someone could possibly be listening. Not once did her gaze slide over them, and for that he was grateful. Sapphire felt the same, apparently, as her little fingers dug into the snow beneath her.

A twig snapped. Steven held his breath.

As it turned out, it was a reindeer, trotting through the snow without a care in the world. Even when it saw Jasper, it didn't flee, instead huffing out a steamy puff of air at her. As more snow drifted down and caught in its thick fur, it shook its neck. It was almost funny, how nonchalant it was.

It stopped being funny when Jasper's yellow gaze hardened on it. Without stopping her recording, Jasper stomped over to a nearby tree, maybe ten feet tall. Her hands took a hold of its trunk, and with no more than one short grunt, she ripped the whole thing from the earth, roots and all. Frost rained down on her. A bird took off with a chitter of surprise.

Jasper reared the tree back and threw it as easily as a baseball. To keep from crying out, Steven grabbed onto Sapphire's arm, and in turn she put her hand over his.

Either Jasper had poor aim, or she did not mean to kill the reindeer at all—the tree crashed down with a flurry of ice, limbs snapping like bones on impact, but just barely brushed against the creature at all. It was enough, however, as at once it bounded away, and only when it had disappeared into the trees again did Jasper return to her bracelet, glaring after it.

"I hate this planet," she hissed into her bracelet. "I could go on, but I'm sure I've said it enough. The sooner I can leave, the better. When the rebels come back, I'll take care of the fusion first. She's the bigger threat; she's stronger even than Rose Quartz. I doubt she'll be much of a match against the ship anyway. After what happened before, crushing her into the ground will be pleasant. The Sapphire will be next, then the Ruby. They'll be easy. I want to save Rose Quartz last. Just so she can watch all the rest of her cronies get shattered before I haul her back to Homeworld."

Steven's veins flooded with ice. He didn't want to get hauled off to Homeworld, of course. He didn't want to get thrown straight into the lion's den. But the others getting shattered...He didn't know if he could live with that. At any other time, the very thought of it would have made his eyes start to burn.

Sapphire did not dare say a word, but the hand not on top of his reached over to settle on his shoulder. He tried to relax, despite the cold that scratched at his back and the threat that stood just ahead of them.

Jasper paused before continuing, "I'll report again once they've come. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get an update on the Cluster; I could barely manage to get to the ship. Maybe I could—"

Steven never found out what Jasper could have done.

Because—and this surprised even Sapphire, because she almost jumped high enough to bash against the rock—two shoes bigger than Steven himself crashed down into the snow.

"Alright." Sunstone's voice was stern but not at all stressed. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

Even Jasper could not help but be shocked by the fusion's sudden appearance. How she had managed to creep up on them all, Steven didn't know, but once she had crashed down, Jasper had whipped around with her eyes wide and mouth half-agape.

Jasper did not immediately rage, instead blinking up with pure confusion and nothing else. Of course, that was only momentary. Wide eyes narrowed into slits, and though she did not erupt into fury, her low voiced was laced with venom as she spat out, "What are you?"

Steven couldn't see it, but Sunstone rolled her toothpick to the other side of her mouth. "I'm a professional. What are you?"

Jasper somehow managed to narrow her eyes more, but now Steven could see gears working in her head. Jasper looked at the Gem between Sunstone's four eyes, then the one that lied in the star in her chest, and once it all clicked into place, realization was as clear on Jasper's face as the sun on a cloudless day.

 _Then_  the fury came.

 _"You?!"_  Jasper snapped her cape backwards, but made no move to tread closer. Not that she needed to. The fire in her eyes and the flash of her teeth was enough to make Steven burrow in further. "You fused  _again_?! With what, the Ruby?!"

Sunstone waved with a very dry smile. Ruby's pinkish Gem flashed in her palm.

Jasper gave a sound that was neither a groan nor a growl. "Nothing about you rebels makes any sense. Two defectives and one waste of resources shouldn't make  _you_."

"I guess you should check your math, then. Listen, I'm all up for some good old-fashioned banter before a throw-down, but I've got places to be and things to do."

Jasper looked upward. What she had noticed before, but was pausing at now, was the third distress signal above the fusion's head. White fire continued to erupt from its top, but it was held in place by a wire coming from Sunstone's hand. It was straining hard to return to its place, but Sunstone didn't even have to try to keep it leashed. She'd been pulling it along like a balloon the whole time.

"Where are the other two?" Jasper scoffed.

"Away from here," replied Sunstone. She rolled her toothpick again. "Away from you."

Jasper did not say a thing for a long stretch of silence, and then she just sighed and turned around. One of Sunstone's hands opened, the beginnings of her morningstar shining between her fingers, but she didn't move to strike. All four of her eyes were watching Jasper, both bored and wary. Sapphire's hand curled into the cloth of Steven's jacket.

"I'll worry about them later," Jasper said. "I might as well take care of you while I'm here."

"Good idea. Speaking of—I've also got something to take care of."

Sunstone yanked on her wire as easy as a lasso, and the distress signal came flying with it. Through some feat of magic or skill, she managed to aim it right at the other, and Steven clamped his hands over his ears right before the strike.

He felt a reverberation run through the earth, felt it even beneath all the snow. For a second, he worried the rock might tip over and crush him and Sapphire both. Smoke filled the air, and Steven had to hold back a cough. The tiny shards of the distress signals glimmered down and disappeared into the snow. Sunstone's wire fell to the ground, weightless, before retreating into her Gem in a silvery ribbon.

Jasper did not flinch at the explosion. She knew it had been coming; she just raised a hand to block her eyes from the blast. Once it was over and the smoke was settling, she turned her gaze back on the fusion, face flat and hard. Sunstone only raised one eye at her and chewed on her toothpick.

"Alright," said Jasper. "My turn."

She ducked into the hole, and a mere second later, it closed into thin air. Sunstone blinked, surprise registering on her face for the first time, before her orange eyes settled over her yellow ones and her morningstar appeared in her grasp at last.

Snow began to swirl through the air, a new gust of wind blowing all the way into Steven and Sapphire's nook. Tree limbs ruffled and dropped frost to their roots, but none of them could see where the movement was coming from. It was only when a tree top bent over did Steven realize that Jasper was in her ship—her  _invisible_  ship.

Sunstone raised her morningstar behind her head and swung. The ball flew through the air, its spikes shining, only to fall and fall, hitting nothing until it just dangled. She swung again and again, silent even through her effort, and still nothing. Sunstone spat her toothpick out into the snow.

There was a flash of green light, and Sunstone hissed. Something had singed into her uppermost right arm. Another flash, and it was her leg. Another, just below the Gem in her chest.

Sunstone gritted her teeth and summoned another morningstar into her other hand. She began to twirl both of them, faster and faster, until she had two fans spinning on both of her hands, so fast the wire turned invisible. The next shot that fired burst against it, then the next, then the next. Her hands moved as quickly as lightning, somehow blocking right at the next fire.

The next green flash stayed, and Sunstone's morningstars froze. No matter how hard she tugged and pulled, they were kept locked in a lime-green glow. The glow spread down to her wrists before she could pull them away.

Something socked her in the jaw, hard and fast. If her hands were not held, she would have stumbled back. Again across her face, again in the temple. When at last it struck her right in one eye, her patience snapped.

Sunstone's jaw opened wide, flashing sharp white teeth and razor-like canines. She bit fast, not even bothering to think about it, and her jaws clamped down on something solid. With almost animalistic strength, she reared her head back and tore it off. Sparks danced in the air. Something wet and warm splashed across her cheek.

Whatever she'd pulled off had left a sparking hole hanging in the air, and her hands were released once again. Her fist shot out, the strike hard. There was a great BOOM, and the sound of whistling wind. Steven felt his bones rattle just at the sound of it.

Sunstone cursed herself for not grabbing the ship first, but she couldn't dwell on it. The next time she heard wind, and saw the lingering sparks, she crossed her arms in front of herself. It worked—the ship crashed right into them, barely forcing her back. She made a grab for it, but she wasn't fast enough.

The next time the tractor beam ignited, it split in to, and didn't aim for her at all. Instead, they went to the ground, plucking up two gargantuan boulders as if they were mere pebbles. One was swung left, the other right, and they burst against Sunstone's shoulders into a shower of dust and chunks of rock.

It was not a very damaging effect, more like she'd just been slugged on each arm, but it got the desired reaction. Once again the ship dove, and now it met its mark, shooting into Sunstone's belly with enough speed to make her double over and grunt.

Suddenly the rock above Steven and Sapphire trembled, and his heart felt that it stopped beating. He made to move, but Sapphire held him still.

The boulder lifted from the snow, dripping frost behind it. They were both hit with the wind again, not that either of them particularly cared. They were left out in the open now, crouched in the boulder's imprint. Steven felt like a bug that had been hiding beneath a piece of furniture.

Neither of them seemed to be noticed, however. With Sunstone still doubled over, the boulder was once again swung in her direction by a stream of green light. This one hit her square in the cheek. Sympathetic pain throbbed in Steven's face.

Sunstone was clearly in a rage now. Her orange and yellow eyes looked like flames framed by her face. Her teeth were all bare in a snarl; she looked almost beastly. She didn't even bother with her morningstars this time; she just raised one fist and swung straight down.

Steven heard a great thump, and then the earth was shaking him so hard he fell face-first into the snow. Sapphire toppled over onto her side. Sunstone was unbothered, and with the ship still at her feet, she ripped the ball off her morningstar and tossed the handle aside. Before it'd even hit the ground, Sunstone was jumping upwards, knees bent and arms pin-straight as they held the heavy ball of spikes above her head.

Steven guessed this was the "dunk." He was right.

The ball came down on the ship so hard that Steven heard a great  _CRACK_ , and an absolute geyser of sparks and green fire took to the air. The ship remained as invisible as ever, but now Steven could see the fissures, the cracks, the exposed inner shell. For a moment he caught a glimpse of a metallic leg before it disappeared.

Surprising them all, the ship took to the air again, zipping out of Sunstone's reach. A chunk of it fell and hit the ground, then another. Steven doubted it could keep going for much longer.

The ship somehow managed the power to send out one last tractor beam. The green ray latched onto the peaked rock that had been beneath the distress signal, and pulled. However, this one was not so easy. If any of them had thought that the rock was large before, they were sorely mistaken—it was a miniature mountain, bigger than even Sunstone. Its shadow fell over Steven and Sapphire, and both of them felt very small.

Steven knew it was going to aim right for Sunstone. He didn't know if she would be able to dodge it or not. Maybe the ship would be too slow, and she could manage. Or maybe the ship wouldn't be able to aim right. Maybe she could just pick up the rock herself and use it to her advantage, instead.

Steven did a lot of stupid things when he was worried.

"Sunstone!" he cried.

All four of Sunstone's eyes had been glaring ahead, her body braced to move, but now they went as round as coins. The top pair stopped looking like eyebrows. Surprise was a peculiar sight to see on her face.

"What...?" she whispered to herself.

The mountain began to rear back, snapping her attention back to it. But then her eyes were going between it and Steven and Sapphire, and her lips pursed tight over her teeth.

Sunstone's hands met and began to rub together fast enough to blur. The friction turned her bandages red, and redder, and redder, until her fingers were glowing from the heat and orange sparks were starting to fly. Just when the mountain began to finally move, Sunstone's hands came down.

Steven didn't know what she did, but suddenly all the cold melted away—quite literally. It was almost like being tossed into a warm bath. Wind rushed by so quickly he had to shut his eyes from it. Whatever water had collected on his person vanished. By the time he managed to open his eyes again, everything was still white, but now it was nothing but. He couldn't even see his feet anymore, it was so steamy.

The ground shook again, this time with such power that he was bounced up into the air. He landed on his belly while the ground was still shaking. The mountain had struck down.

Something closed around his middle, and then he was being lifted. He would have cried out, thinking it was Jasper, but then he was looking at a different, much larger pair of yellow eyes.

" _What_  are you  _doing_  here?" Sunstone spat out.

Sapphire—who was being held in one of Sunstone's other hands, only a few feet away, with the thumb across her middle—replied with shakiness, "We were trying to spy on Jasper!"

Sunstone's orange eyes knit over her yellow ones. "That wasn't part of the plan! You were supposed to—!"

" _This_  wasn't part of the plan," countered Steven. He surprised himself, managing to come up with a retort despite the adrenaline in his veins.

"I did this so you two wouldn't be  _hurt_!" All four of Sunstone's eyes squeezed shut. The muscles between her brows was pushing her Gem beneath her headband. Both of her thumbs tightened around Steven and Sapphire, but not crushingly so. "What were you two thinking?!"

Sapphire tried to reply, "I saw a future where we wouldn't get hurt and still—"

"Then why are you surprised that  _I'm_  here?!"

Sapphire's mouth shut at that. It took a moment for her to mumble, "I must not have looked hard enough..."

Sunstone turned her head to her right, fast enough to make her fluffy ponytail sway. She must have been hearing something that Steven and Sapphire weren't.

"What am I going to do with you...?" Sunstone's eyes furrowed once again. "I've got to take care of Jasper while I've got the chance. No..." Now she seemed distressed, not determined. She wasn't looking at either of the Gems in her hands. "I've got to get you two out of here. It's not safe. No..." And again her face shifted, fire lighting her eyes. Her thumbs once again tightened around Steven and Sapphire. "We won't get a chance like this again!"

"Uh...?" Steven looked over at Sapphire, who looked back at him. Both of them were squirming in the fusion's grip. "Sun...stone...?"

Sunstone inhaled a deep breath through her pointed nose, and she started to kneel, bringing Steven and Sapphire down with careful speed. "Look, why don't we just...?"

When Steven and Sapphire were just a few feet above the ground, Sapphire's form lit up neon orange. Her grasp around Steven wavered; he felt himself sliding bit by bit to the snow—

—but then her grip grew tight again, and both he and Sapphire gasped as they were yanked back through the air. Sunstone was now standing pin-straight, shaking her head. Steven almost couldn't breathe, she was holding him so tight. Her grasp was getting too hot to bear for much longer.

"No! We don't have to!" Sunstone was almost spitting the words out. "We're not just going to give up!"

Sunstone's face did something very strange then; her top pair of eyes furrowed as though worried, almost U-shaped, their orange irises staring down at the pair below. In turn,  _that_  pair was slanted as though angry, yellow orbs glaring upwards.

Her tone matched the top pair more. "It's not giving up! Just think about it!"

Then it dipped lower. "I  _am_  thinking about it!"

Sunstone's form started to flicker then, solid one second, light and bright the next. She grunted and spat and even whimpered at some point; the hand that was holding Steven finally gave way, and he cried out. Thankfully, Sapphire was a quick thinker, and zipped over to catch him so that they could both float safely to the ground.

The steam was beginning to dissipate by then, and Steven could see Sunstone in all of her unstable glory. He couldn't tell where her arms began and her hair ended anymore. The bright red spots of her Gems trembled in place.

Steven heard something hum, and looked to the left. His stomach knotted together—Jasper had returned, the ship was still going. Sparks continued to fly. Another chunk the size of a basketball fell to the ground, now bare of any snow and only holding a few blades of dead, brown grass.

At long last, Sunstone's form gave away, and both Steven and Sapphire flinched back at the flash. Opal and Ruby both fell through the air in opposite directions. Neither of them landed with grace. Opal landed on her belly, Ruby her back.

No sooner had they hit the ground were they entrapped in yet another green glow. Neither of them could even try to escape. Sapphire began to run first, then Steven.

But they didn't have to. Opal and Ruby only made it five feet into the air before they were dropped. They hit the ground and were picked up again, then again, then again. At some point, they started to land on their feet.

Finally, the tractor beam just stopped altogether. Steven heard a very distant growl, then a bang. Something invisible crashed down into the ground near them. A few seconds later, it flickered to visibility: a hatch door, dented like tin.

Jasper appeared above them, standing in a doorway framed by cracks and nothing else. One hand was on its frame, the other curled into a fist tight enough to tremble. If looks could kill, the Crystal Gems would be ten feet under. Steven half expected her to pounce down and rip them all to shreds with her bare hands. She had seen him, he knew, and that infuriated her more than anything.

"I'm only leaving to repair this hunk of scrap metal!" she roared down at them. "Once I'm done, I'll find you all again!  _I'll_  make you wish you'd never been made!" And here she pointed right at Steven. "I'm not done with you, Rose Quartz!"

She turned away with a whip of her cape, and that was it. The empty doorway, the growing cracks, the sparks, they all soared away, leaving snow swirling in their wake. The Crystal Gems were left behind in an open expanse of dead earth and dripping trees.

The silence seemed to go on forever. All four of them were staring where Jasper had once been; but Steven couldn't tell how they were all feeling. The cold was starting to creep back, but he was too spent to even care at this point.

He tried to lighten the mood with, "At least we got rid of the signals?"

It didn't work.

Ruby rounded on Opal with enough speed and ferocity to make Steven jump. In that moment, it was easy to forget that she just barely passed the fusion's knees. It felt like they were going eye-to-eye.

"Do you have any idea what you've  _done_?!" she barked at Opal. She might as well have been a fire, the amount of shimmering heat that was coming off of her. "We had her on a silver platter! We were  _this_  close—" Ruby pinched her fingers so close together they were touching. "—to getting her and you wanted to just  _drop_  it? This could have been it! It could have all been over!"

Opal didn't say anything. She wasn't even looking at Ruby.

But Ruby wasn't letting up. "Are you not going to say  _anything_? It would have taken all of  _ten_  seconds and you got  _cold_  feet?! What is WRONG with you?!"

Opal finally looked at Ruby.

Sapphire took a hold of Steven's arm and pulled him back.

Opal had a...look in her eye. Not murderous. Not vengeful. It was just dark. Furious. She didn't have pupils anymore, and somehow, that terrified him, the cold, blank blue of her eyes. Ruby was letting off heat, but Opal was letting off something as cold as ice.

" _You_." She spat it out like venom. "I told you to  _stop_. I wanted  _out_. And you kept me  _in_. You  _trapped_  me."

Ruby's fury wavered. Her fire dimmed. Ruby was brave, but she wasn't made of steel. Even she was beginning to shrink away from Opal's cold, cold rage.

"I wasn't trying to  _trap_  you." She was trying to sound stern. She sounded a little too hesitant, instead. "I wanted us to keep going—"

"So you forced me to stay. You didn't want to convince me, you didn't want to  _reason_  with me. You just wanted me to  _shut up and go with it_."

Ruby's hands were fists at her sides. Though her jaw was set tight, she looked like it was a fight just to keep her eyes on Opal's.

"Sapphire and Steven would've been fine. I don't know why—"

"I didn't want to stop because of  _them_ , I wanted to stop because of  _you_."

"What?"

" _You_  were getting angry.  _You_  were losing your grip. I knew they would have been fine, that wasn't what I was worried about. I thought you were losing control, and I thought we should stop _. I was right_."

Ruby swallowed. "Opal, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean—"

"You hurt me. You are one of the only friends that I have left and you did something you  _knew_  would hurt me!"

Ruby didn't say anything else to that.

"Opal..." Sapphire faltered in Opal's stare. Her voice still wasn't as strong as she wished it was. "I should have stayed with Steven on the beach. If we weren't here, you wouldn't have—"

"Don't. Don't try to take the blame for this. This is about what  _Ruby_  did because  _Ruby_  can't keep control of herself and  _Ruby_  doesn't know when to stop."

Ruby was completely extinguished now. Her eyes were on her feet, her hands limp. Steven couldn't see her face.

Opal just shook her head and turned. "Let's just go home."

Opal stomped away, and once again Steven saw that her heels were touching the ground. She didn't look behind her; she didn't stop. The mountain had broken into great chunks all around them, and Opal walked in the valley, somehow not dwarfed by it all.

Ruby eventually followed. Snowflakes settled on her red skin and didn't melt.

When it was only Steven and Sapphire left, they turned to look at one another. Perhaps, Steven thought, Sapphire felt what he felt, knew what he knew. That this was not some little spat, not like the petty things Sapphire and Ruby had been so prone to, not like the pointless competition Ruby and Opal had had on the training grounds. This wasn't going to be fixed by the time they got home, or even tomorrow. Maybe not even the week after.

Steven had something heavy inside of him, something that kept him from talking. It was a terrible, terrible feeling, and maybe if it was not weighing him down so, he would have noticed that Sapphire was feeling something different. Also terrible, but different in an entirely different way.

Steven knew he wouldn't be able to bring up Star for a while. He doubted anything would be alright for a while.


	7. The Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and the Cool Kids pursuit treasure at Funland, going face-to-face with a rival group from out of town! It's a race against the clock to see who will win.
> 
> Also, the thing with Ruby and Opal is still going on. And Opal unfuses out of stress. No big deal.

 

Steven wiped down the window over and over and over again until, finally, he could see every pore on his face, every hair in his brows. He couldn't help but finger-gun at himself.

The rag went down into the bucket with a wet  _plop_ , and Steven lifted it up to move on. However, stepping back, he saw that there was nothing else to do. Every window was as reflective as a mirror, every tire cap bright as silver, the 'MR. UNIVERSE' letters almost neon against the van.

"Alright, Dad," he called out, "I'm going to move on to the other...side..."

He rounded around the bumper, but found the same thing on the other side. It was probably the cleanest car in all of Beach City, maybe the state of Delmarva.

Greg came out of It's A Wash just a moment later. His long, shaggy hair was, for once, tied back from his neck. The white tank top had been replaced with a blue T-shirt that read 'I Eat Breakfast for Breakfast' across the chest.

Greg whistled with appreciation at the sight of the van. "Wish I had that kind of artistry with washing. I'd be a millionaire."

Steven chuckled. "Nah. The line would get backed up to the state line. How long have I been out here?"

Greg leaned back so he could look at the clock hanging on the wall. "About fifteen minutes."

Steven tried very hard not to let his smile drop. It wasn't even nine. "Oh."

"I got you some breakfast," Greg offered. "It's not a feast, but it's something."

He held out a bowl of cereal to Steven, one of the miniature plastic ones with a peel-back top. Steven didn't even care that it was one of those horrendously blatant knockoffs (they're called  _Fruitaloos_ , not Fruit-Flavored Loopholes!).

"So," Steven said, "What have you got going on today?"

Greg shrugged a shoulder. He was still admiring the top-notch quality of his van. "Wednesdays are pretty slow. Probably not much."

"Well, I'll stay anyway. Maybe I can teach you some of my skills, eh? Eh?"

Steven took another scoop of cereal, then paused while the plastic spoon was still sticking out from his lips. Greg had not replied in any way, and when Steven looked up at his father, he was surprised to be met with a furrowed-brow look of concern.

"What?" He asked. With the spoon, it sounded like 'Wah?'

Greg let out a breath through his nose and put a hand on Steven's opposite shoulder. Steven braced himself for the straight-to-the-heart question to follow.

"Do you not want to go home, Stu-Ball?"

_Straight to the heart. Right in._

Steven blew a raspberry, forgot about the spoon, and thus made a very loud flatulent sound. Greg's head snaked back from him in response.

"Why would I not want to go home?" he laughed. "It's been a while since we've had a hang-out day, that's all."

"And the fact that we're having a hang-out day has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Opal and Ruby are fighting?"

"Absolutely nothing!"

"Okay, now give me the honest answer."

"It has everything to do with that."

Greg sighed. Steven took another bite of cereal.

Back when Jasper had left them, when Opal had torn into Ruby with her voice alone, Steven had thought that things had taken a very steep, very dark turn for the Crystal Gems. He had continued to think that as they walked back to the Warp Pad in dead silence.

He had been right.

Watching the way Ruby and Opal interacted with one another was too much for him. It was so out of the normal, so unprecedented, seeing two people he knew and loved be so cold to one another. It was always  _possible_ , he supposed. Like Sapphire said, anything was a possibility—Ruby and Opal  _could_  be like this. He just hated that the possibility had become reality.

Really, the whole situation had turned the two of them into complete opposites of one another. Opal, usually so calm and composed, now glared daggers almost every time she saw Ruby, and would hold a scowl on her face for a stretch afterwards. Ruby, not always angry but always full of energy, shrunk back from the fusion as though she would get knocked off her feet it Opal so much as raised her voice.

Probably the worst of it, which Steven had to see twice now, was when Ruby  _tried_. She  _tried_  to apologize. She  _tried_  to talk it out, but it was no good. The first time, she had come to Opal, trying to ease into conversation first. But the fusion had simply stood to her toes and stormed off into her Room. The next time went just about the same, but Ruby just went ahead and said, "Opal, I'm sorry!"

Opal had paused. And then she had kept on walking.

Everything had come to a grinding stop. They weren't looking for Jasper, they weren't looking for Chrysocolla, the word 'Homeworld' hadn't been spoken in days. Steven wanted to be upset about it, wanted to find Chrysocolla more than anything so that he could see Lapis again, but he found that he just didn't have the energy to be upset about more than one thing at a time. Each night, he went to bed more exhausted than the night before.

The only saving grace he had in his own home was Sapphire, and even then she had been absent as of late, hiding away in her Room or disappearing on the Warp Pad. She was not being cold to Steven at all, but when they spoke, it was in whispers, as though raising their voice would make the whole house crumple.

Steven was worried, and scared, and frustrated, and a little angry, and he  _still_  had not spoken a word of Star to anyone. In his dreams, he had tried to tell them about it all, but he was in such an emotional spinout that he couldn't put it into words even in his own mind. This morning he had decided that, at least for  _one_  day, he had to get out of the house.

"Listen, buddy," Greg told him, "if it's so bad you don't feel comfortable, maybe you should tell them—"

"No," Steven sighed. "This is something they have to work out; I don't want to guilt them into rushing it. I just...It's awkward. I just need to get away for a little bit, that's all."

Greg didn't seem satisfied, but he nodded anyway. "You know what helps me when I'm in an awkward place like that?"

"Solubilized ibuprofen?"

"Besides that, a day at Funland usually gets me right up."

Greg didn't wait for Steven to respond before turning back into the building. Steven heard the cash register ring open, heard the tinkle of coins, the slam shut, and then Greg was back. He pressed two rolls of coins into Steven's palm.

"Win me something pretty," Greg told him with a wink.

Steven twiddled the rolls between his fingers. It was easily twenty bucks, more than Greg had ever gifted him before.

"I can still spend the day here," Steven murmured. "I didn't come to see you just because I wanted to get away, I—"

"I know. Still. Go spend some time just having fun; we'll hang out later."

Steven took in a deep breath and nodded. He and Greg gave each other a quick one-armed hug, during which Greg ruffled his curls. Then Steven took off, turning his head over his shoulder to call, "I'll get you something pretty!"

Greg just waved at him until he was gone. He moved to go back inside, but just as he did so, a bright yellow sports car pulled up in front of It's A Wash. The driver, a thirty-something man with slick black hair and a trim beard, pulled his sunglasses from his eyes as he looked at Greg. Or, rather, Greg's van.

"Incredible!" he exclaimed. The man dug into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills. "I will pay you three hundred dollars for that handiwork!"

Greg felt both a swell of excitement and the stomach-plummet of despair. "Darn my son and his superior carwashing skills..."

* * *

Walking through Beach City, Steven already felt better. Just strolling past the storefronts, hearing his flip-flops on the boards, even just seeing that disconcerting green stain at the far east end was lifting stress up off his shoulders. He hadn't done this in a while, walking the boardwalk without a time-crunching purpose in mind.

Beach Citywalk Fries had its grate pulled up, and Peedee was wiping the counter down for the lunch rush. (Or lunch lull, whichever was more appropriate.) He waved at Steven as he passed. Lars was on his way to work, a leather jacket pulled over his uniform, and gave Steven a two-fingered salute. Onion crept down from the rooftops and granted Steven the gift of a soda can filled with what was probably nails and something that hissed. He didn't seem to mind when Steven left it at the edge of the boardwalk.

It was honestly starting to feel close to normalcy. Close enough, anyway.

"Hey, Steven!"

In the very small parking lot of Fish Stew Pizza, Jenny waved him over with the thin silver bracelets on her wrist jangling loudly. Buck and Sour Cream were, of course, also there. Buck was leaning against the building with his hands in his pockets and his head tilted downwards. Sour Cream was in the backseat of the pizza-patterned Jeep. His long legs were dangling over the door while the rest of him rested on the cushions. He had headphones over his ears, as per the norm.

Steven ran over, almost tripping. Jenny did an anxious little dance on her feet. "Hello, Jen! Hello, Sour! Hello...Buh."

Buck hummed and smiled just slightly. "No one's ever nicknamed me before. I appreciate it."

Jenny squatted down on her toes so that she was eye-level with Steven. He noted that she was dressed pretty athletically today, in black leggings and a long-sleeved purple shirt made of soft, stretchy material. Actually, they all looked dressed for action. Buck wasn't wearing his signature jacket, instead going for a striped T-shirt and cargo shorts. Sour Cream had zipped off the bottoms of his pants.

"Are you doing anything today?" Jenny's hands came up on either side of his face, squishing his cheeks together. "Are you doing anything  _important_  today?"

Steven had to answer through squashed lips. "Ah wa 'oin tuh Fuhlan?"

Jenny's face broke out in a smile bright enough to replace the sun. The hands on his cheeks left to clap together. "Per- _fect_! Steven, we need your help. We are rallying for a  _movement_."

Steven's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "A movement?"

"Yes indeed-y. But—" And again Jenny was touching him, pressing a finger to his lips even though he hadn't said anything. "We can't discuss this here. Quickly, get inside!"

Jenny waved for Buck and Steven to both follow. While Jenny rounded around to climb into the driver's seat, Buck took the passenger's side. Sour Cream picked himself off the door so Steven could open it and crawl in beside him. Once they were all in the car, Jenny twisted around to face everyone.

(Just for the record, the car was still roofless.)

"Okay, so here's the deal." Jenny twiddled her fingers at Buck, and he dutifully opened the glovebox and pulled out a sheet of paper, which he handed to Jenny just so she could hand it to Steven. Note that everyone was only a foot away from one another. " _This_  is going down at Mr. Smiley's establishments today."

Steven took the sheet and looked it over. It was all in pink and purples, the font sort of funky-retro, and each corner had a smiley face. Across the top, it screamed, ONE DAY ONLY!.! The misplaced period was aggravating.

Nevertheless, Steven read on.

_For just one day, April 4th, Funland and the Funland Arcade is hosting some out-of-this-world prizes! But hey—they don't come cheap! Think you got what it takes? Then come on down and prove it! Every game will have tickets, and it's up to YOU to come and get 'em!._

The second misplaced period was unforgiveable.

Steven looked down at the pictured prizes, and once more, his eyebrows shot right up his forehead. Steven had to admit, these  _were_  some out-of-this-world prizes, at least for Funland. A scooter, a giant human-sized hamster ball, a stuffed giraffe that was six feet tall (this fact was accompanied with a little asterisk to point out a note reading 'Recommended for shorter individuals')...Mr. Smiley had really outdone himself with this thing.

"Whoa," Steven gasped. He looked back up at Jenny, and found her staring at him with an expression as serious as death itself. "This  _is_  a deal!"

"Yeah," said Jenny, "but look at the catch."

Buck reached over and pointed it out for him. Steven's eyebrows went from up high to down low. He guessed he shouldn't have been surprised, but the 'tickets' required for each item was nothing short of astounding. Five thousand, ten thousand, twenty thousand—stars above, the most expensive one was for  _one million tickets_!

Steven sucked air through his teeth. " _Yeeeeesh_!"

"Okay, now me?  _This_  is what I want." Jenny tapped on the picture of a bass guitar, sleek and painted that irresistible sparkling red—11,500 tickets. "Look. At. That. Baby."

"That's a fine baby," Steven agreed.

Sour Cream now reached over and pointed out his desire: a jukebox, surely not a novelty, but as big as one would be. Polished wood, silvery buttons, bright hues of red, green, and yellow decorating it all. If the picture was to be believed, it even had that oh-so-satisfying flip-through-your-selection function. It ran for 20,000 tickets.

"I'm usually not into old-school stuff," said Sour Cream, "but if I could get some of  _my_  tunes in there, it would sound as cool as it looks."

Steven nodded his approval before turning to the ever-calm teenager beside him. "What about you, Buck? What do you want?"

Buck pointed it out. It was one of those banks where you put a coin down and a little cat paw would reach out and bring it in. 1,000 tickets.

"I just think they're neat," said Buck.

"But here's the thing," Jenny went on. "There's no way  _one_  person can get  _all_  those tickets. Except for Buck's, but whatever. So what  _we_  were thinking was, 'Hey, how about we  _all_  go together and pool our winnings? Then we'll split it up for everyone."

Steven smiled at that, and tapped a finger against his temple. "Adapting to the challenge! I like it."

"We were going to get more people in our group, but we've got nobody. Kiki took Nanefua out for a trip today, Lars and Sadie have to work at the Big Donut, and...Yeah, that's it. Not a lot of teenagers in this town. Except Ronaldo, but you know how it is with him."

Steven nodded and pressed his lips together. He would have said that he could have called Connie for backup, then remembered that her family was taking a trip of their own, out to see an orchestra perform in a hall.

(It also occurred to him that he could have gone home and asked the Gems, but he scratched that idea out as quickly as it came.)

"So we were thinking," continued Jenny, "as our beloved protector, you would be able to give us a hand?"

"I'm in," he said at once. "I have never been so  _in_  something in my life."

Jenny clasped her hands together as if to bless him. Buck gave him a grateful pat on the back, while Sour Cream played a sound on his phone like Steven had just opened up a treasure chest in an old video game.

"So," said Jenny, "What are your skills?"

"Okay, you know that game where the snakes pop out of the board, and you have to beat them down into submission? I can, and  _have_ , played that game in my sleep."

"Really?"

"Yeah, one time it was really late and I fell asleep still sluggin'. Mr. Smiley gave a Guy figure for a special snore-and-score prize."

"Oh, we  _need_  that skill. So, now that we're all in, we make some rules. One: no cheating! All our tickets will get confiscated. Two: no begging! We will shed blood and tears, but we will  _not_  give up our pride. And three: if you see any kids wanting to play a game, let the sweet babies go."

The three guys nodded in agreement—Sour Cream muttering a determined but tender "sweet babies" under his breath—and Jenny stuck her hand out, bracelet jingling. Buck followed, then Sour Cream, and Steven slapped his hand down on top.

"Alright, now let's move—OH MY GOSH." Jenny stabbed a finger past Steven's ear so quickly that her perfectly manicured nail almost sliced his cheek. "Steven, go get your friend!"

Steven blinked and turned around. He didn't see anyone at first, just the empty boardwalk and a wrapper that skidded across the wood like a tumbleweed. Then, looking out past the sand, he saw the figure standing at the shoreline. There was no mistaking who it was. He knew that barely-contained mane of hair anywhere.

Buck hummed in agreement. "Lars said Opal bested him at basketball. A true professional."

"It was Sadie who said that," Jenny retorted.

Buck shrugged his shoulders. "Lars didn't deny it."

Jenny's hand grabbed onto Steven's shoulder and shook him with quite a bit of strength. Steven's head lolled around before he managed to get a hold of himself.

"Steven, we need her!" Jenny's eyes were shining with excitement, but also the stone-cold determination of a warrior about to head out to a battle that was sure to spill blood. "She will be our leviathan!"

Steven chewed on the inside of his cheek, and immediately felt bad about it. He shouldn't even be hesitating, should he? Opal was upset, she'd been upset for  _days_ , and a day just relaxing and playing games was sure to cheer her up. Forget about the trainwreck she was trapped in with Ruby, she'd been crumbling under the stress of Jasper, Chrysocolla, and Homeworld for far too long without any way to let the steam vent.

He wasn't going to be selfish. Opal needed a break a million and one times more than he did.

"Alright," he said as he pushed the door open. "I'll recruit!"

He knew the Cool Kids were watching him as he crossed the road, hopped down to the sand, and strolled up to the fusion. She had her back to him and didn't stir when he came closer. She'd been standing there long enough for the waves to sink her into the sand, past the bump of her ankles, and Steven noted with wariness that she was once again walking flat-footed and not en point.

Steven took in a deep breath, let it out. "Hey, Opal."

Opal didn't even so much as twitch. If it weren't for the wind lifting at her hair, at the drape of her top, it would be easy to mistake her for a statue.

He tried again, "Opal?"

Finally she turned around in a spin, her feet lifting up and scattering clumps of wet sand about. Steven hadn't spoken any louder than before, yet she jumped as though he'd crept up behind her and screamed, "BOO!"

"Steven," she exclaimed, breathless. She tried to smile at him, but it looked more like a grimace, a fake smile as if he was pointing a camera at her. "Good evening!"

"Uh...It's not even nine in the morning yet."

"Yes, that's what I said! And what a beautiful not even nine in the morning yet it is!"

Steven looked down from her eyes to her arms. Two of them were clasped together at her chest in that sort of 'I am so delighted to see you!' sort of way. The other two were crossed over her belly with an iron grip. The pastel skin of her arms spilled up between her fingers, she was squeezing so hard.

Steven almost asked, 'How are you doing?' and realized that that was probably the most terribly loaded question he could have asked. So instead, hoping that he wouldn't press a button without meaning to, he asked, "What are you doing today?"

Opal's right eyebrow knotted down, but the other remained happily raised. It gave her a sort of one-brow-raised look, and coupled with the ever-present and ever-artificial smile on her lips, she looked like a supervillain out of a Saturday morning cartoon.

"I was just thinking about that," she answered, and good stars, even her  _voice_  wasn't mixing right. The cadence was sing-song, the sound like a growl. "I was thinking about maybe talking about Ruby about what happened but then I thought that I shouldn't be seeking  _her_  out, she should be seeking  _me_  out, and then I recalled that she  _has_  been seeking me out but I've been ignoring her, and even then I remind myself that there was no way I was going to lead into a civil conversation, but now I think that I might be able to do so, which brings me back into thinking about talking to Ruby about what happened, so my mind is like a broken record right now, loopholing and loopholing and  _loopHOLING_..."

In this little... _breakdown_ , Opal was slowly winding up, hands reaching ever-so-slowly up to grab at either side of her head as if to block out some kind of sound. And she sunk down, lower and lower, knees bending until she was all but squatting, neverminding how the water lapped at her drape and her hair. Steven was caught between reaching out to comfort her and taking a step back out of fear, so he instead stayed rooted to the spot.

"—and Steven I don't know if you and Connie ever had a fight when you two were fused but I cannot even begin to describe to you how it feels when the two halves of your mind are tearing at one another like animals fighting over food, and almost none of it is of your own volition, so you just have to wait until the tornado in your skull stops spinning long enough for you to remember that you still exist and— _AH_!"

Opal's eyes widened on him, and then she was falling, four arms windmilling in the air. Steven tried and failed to grab one and steady her. She landed with a little splash, a wave rolling over her the second she was on her back.

Opal had fallen.

Opal—elegance incarnate, grace given form, so balanced on her feet that she could walk on water if she so desired—had fallen down and landed right on her butt.

Sirens were going off in Steven's head.

Opal gave no mind to it, apparently, as she just pushed herself up and looked down at Steven wide-eyed and mouth just slightly agape.

"When did you get here?" she asked.

Steven really wished he wasn't talking to her alone. He was not  _scared_  of Opal, she wasn't  _creeping him out_ , but a pat on the back and a simple, "She'll be fine" would do him wonders. He recalled what it was like to be in Chrysocolla's mind, to watch Lapis and Peridot fight for dominance inside the same body, and wondered if the same was happening within Opal. The thought almost made him shudder.

Steven cleared his throat and spoke slowly, though he didn't know why. He supposed it was because Opal was in a very delicate state, and he worried that speaking too loud would break her like fine China.

"Me and the Cool Kids are going to go spend the day at Funland. We're going to play games so we can get tickets and get prizes. Do you want to come with us?"

Opal blinked at him one eye at a time. Then she laughed, a terrible choking sound that made him wince.

"I can't go to  _Funland_!" she cried in a thin voice. "There's so much to do! We have to think about what we're going to do if Jasper shows up in her ship again! We have to find Chrysocolla and take care of her! I don't even want to  _begin_  to think about what's heading our way if Homeworld saw those distress signals. That's not even factoring in the plan Mayor Dewey needs to discuss with us that's just one more coal in the fire but is also a pretty necessary coal in the fire! And you know what?! Funland isn't even that great! It's a very ironic name! Do you remember what happened last time we went to—"

And that seemed to be the final straw. That final memory, that day when everything was going wrong for her, when she couldn't be herself because who she was was  _wrong_  and didn't  _fit in_  and just  _caused trouble_ — _that_  was the one that finally pushed her over the edge.

Opal sucked in a deep breath and brought her index fingers against her lips. It was hard to explain, the way she was. She had relaxed all over, her shoulders easing back down, calming down as though by meditating. At the same time, there was something chaotic radiating off of her. There was something inside of her that Steven couldn't see, an absolute hurricane just barely contained within her two Gems.

"Steven," she said, clipped, slow, "I will be back."

Then she burst.

Now it was Steven's time to fall flat on his butt. The sudden purple flash like a firework sent him reeling down into the sand. He genuinely thought, for just a second, that Opal's turmoil had grown so extreme that she poor creature just popped.

Of course, that's not what happened. What  _had_  happened was either very bad or a little exciting; Steven didn't know which.

Pearl had landed on her back. She let out a surprised little squawk as she hit the water, then she just lied there for a moment, letting the gentle waves lap at her thin wrists and ankles. The bow tied behind her waist was soaked within seconds.

Amethyst had been hit with the less fortunate side of the stick, faceplanting right into the ground and probably getting a mouthful of sand for her troubles. Her immediate spitting and sputtering only confirmed this. Unlike Pearl—and 'unlike Pearl' was a given, they were polar opposites—she immediately picked herself back up to her feet.

"Pearl," she all but snarled out, "I  _know_  you're mad about this. I  _know_  you aren't ready to talk to Ruby about it, so why are you so flippin' eager to kiss her toes?"

"I don't kiss toes," Pearl snapped back. She stood to her feet, towering over the purple Quartz at full height, and went to wringing the drops out of her bow. "And I'm not eager. I just think that there are more pressing concerns and a disagreement between two Gems is a  _little_  less important than a possible invasion that we should be preparing for."

"'Disagreement'?  _That's_  what you want to call it?! Wh—No, duh, we're in a disagreement, P! When people chip me off, I tend to  _disagree_  that what they did was okay, and I  _disagree_  that I should forgive them just because they said they're sorry!"

"What do you want her to do, Amethyst?"

"'What do I want her to—?'  _I want her to not hurt us_!"

"You know I don't either! Look, I'm not saying that we should just  _force_  ourselves to forgive her. I'm saying that we should—that we should...'put a pin in it'."

"And when is that pin going to come out?"

"When everything has returned to normal. Or at least when they're safe again."

"You know that could take  _years_."

"And this...whatever-you-want-to-call it is never going to get more or less important over those years. Giving Ruby the silent treatment isn't going to make the Earth any safer. We just need to put this aside and function as we normally would."

"Oh, yeah, sure. That sounds like a fantastic idea. Superb. Except, uh, one problem: it IS going to get worse because it will KEEP GOING and we're just going to get MORE UPSET because when you IGNORE things, it makes them WORSE, which is something that you've told ME a million times by now!"

"So you think that if we put this aside to address later, it will get worse?"

"That's literally what I just said."

"You know what? That's true. So—"

"There's a catch to this agreement."

"—we should deal with it now, then."

_"Don't loophole me, Pearl!"_

"Alright, Amethyst..." Pearl took a deep breath and twined her fingers together. Her attempt to calm herself down instead came off as a bit too condescending. "There are so many things we need to be worried about and I'm not going to add this to it. Especially not in front of—STEVEN!"

Pearl suddenly whipped to face him with a panicked smile that went from ear to nonexistent ear. It was practically painted on. Amethyst seemed to catch the gist, and though she didn't smile, she dropped her scowl as she looked at the half-human boy who had been watching them the entire time without saying a word.

Steven guessed he had gone into some kind of locked-up flight response, because for the whole ordeal, he didn't feel anything. It wasn't calmness, it was just a freeze of everything.

Once he finally, fully realized what was happening—Opal had unfused, Pearl and Amethyst were here now, the two Gems whom he had technically only met a few months ago but had known basically his entire life were back once again, individuals with their own volitions—he didn't even know how to explain his reaction. Everything just muddled together, shock, excitement, joy, and fear, that it was hard to pick just one.

For some reason, the only thing he could say was, "Pearl. Amethyst."

Pearl kept on smiling. "Hello, Steven!" She stuck a slender white hand out to him. "It's so good to see you again!"

Steven couldn't pull himself together fast enough to shake her hand, so she reached down and did it herself. The smile was clearly starting to strain on her face.

Amethyst blew her messy bangs out of her face, only for them to settle right back down. "Pearl, come on. We said we weren't going to make this weird."

Pearl replied through the corner of her mouth, through gritted teeth. "I'm just trying to alleviate the atmosphere."

Amethyst rolled her eyes very hard at that. She walked over to Steven and threw an arm around his shoulders, giving him a half-hug while also pulling him closer to her. For just a second, she ruffled his curls with a noogie.

"Hey, Stephano," she drawled in greeting. "Let me ask you something real quick. If two people are in an argument and one of them wants to do something the other doesn't—"

"Amethyst, do  _not_  bring Steven into this."

"Why not? He's a neutral third party. He can say what he wants."

"He is not a 'neutral third party.' You're just going to make him choose between the two of us and that's going to upset him. Don't make him pick sides."

"Why are  _we_  the sides, huh? This is about us and Ruby, not me and you. This shouldn't be some kind of argument tournament! There shouldn't be fights inside of fights!"

"I— _yes_ , Amethyst, I agree! Why do you keep saying things that I  _agree_  with, then turn around and yell at me for agreeing?"

"Stop talking to me like I popped out of the ground yesterday!" The arm that was around Steven's shoulders pulled back to instead jab a finger at Pearl. "Every time we fight like this, you talk down to me like I'm a  _baby_. 'Oh, poor, stupid Amethyst, don't you know that I, the intellectual, mature Pearl, knows the answer to everything and  _you_  do not?'"

"Firstly, I don't sound like that. Secondly, I think it's pretty counterintuitive to say that I'm treating you like a child and then do a mocking impression of me—"

"Are you  _serious_  right now?!"

"Yes, I'm serious! It's hypocritical of you and it's not beneficial to your point to be so cynical when I'm just trying to make a simple point—"

_"Stop using words that end with 'L' to sound smarter!"_

_"'Simple' ends with an 'E'!"_

_"YOU WOULD KNOW."_

Steven finally just went out and screamed _, "Let's go to Funland!"_

And boy, if that didn't flip a switch. In one second, the sneering noses and teeth-baring glares gave way to furrowed brows and baffled frowns. Pearl and Amethyst broke their heated stare-down to over at him, then to each other, then back to him.

"Say what?" Amethyst muttered.

Steven took a deep breath and explained it all slowly, calmly. "Funland is giving out special prizes today for a lot of tickets. Me and the Cool Kids are going to go there and try to win them. You two should come with us."

Pearl was the first to respond, staring at him for just a moment longer before closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Steven, that's sweet, but I don't think now is a good time."

"Which sucks," said Amethyst, "because I think now is a  _great_  time. Let's go! I want to drive one of those fake-car games."

Amethyst didn't wait for either of them to respond. With her hands clasped behind her head, she went ahead in the direction of the Cool Kids and the Jeep. Behind Steven, Pearl let out a very long sigh that gave way to a growl.

Then she set a hand on his shoulder, but the smile on her face was more exhausted than anything else. "Let's go have fun."

The Cool Kids stared and blinked at them all as they came forward. The silence wasn't broken as the back door once again opened and Pearl and Steven climbed in. It wasn't broken as Pearl clicked her seatbelt in, then did the same for Steven so that the belt didn't rub at his neck uncomfortably. It wasn't even broken when it became clear that they couldn't all fit into the back, so Amethyst just shapeshifted into a little purple bird that perched on Steven's shoulder.

It was only broken when Jenny asked, "So, uh...Where'd your tall friend go?"

"Uh..." Steven looked to his left at Pearl, then to his right at Amethyst. Neither made any move to answer the human girl. "She left. But don't worry; now we got two instead of one."

"Uh...Okay." Jenny turned back in her seat, but didn't move to put the Jeep into ignition. In fact, after a few too many seconds of silence, she leaned back and said, "You guys know we don't have to drive there, right? It's like a three minute walk."

* * *

Three minutes later saw the six of them walking into the Funland Arcade, Amethyst on one side and Pearl on the other. The Cool Kids made no comment on Opal's absence, instead trying to start up conversation, asking for the newcomers' names, giving polite nice-to-meet-yous, the whole ordeal. It would have been nice if it weren't for the tension that rested over them all.

Steven was still having trouble processing it all. He had talked to Opal about this, how it was still a little confusing to process that Opal was Opal but she was also Pearl and Amethyst, so every moment between them was basically Steven talking to three different people at once. It was just odd, he guessed. It was easy to forget that they all knew each other, it was tempting to talk to Pearl and Amethyst like they were new friends. And they  _were_ , because there were things about the two of them he didn't know even though they knew everything about him. But he tried his best, and even though they continued to scowl and glower, neither Pearl nor Amethyst seemed upset by any words he spoke to them.

The Funland Arcade was only slightly busier than the norm. So, at most, there were maybe seven people not counting the six of them. Four kids, two parents, and one teenager. But hey, all things considered, that was good business for a place in Beach City.

Steven hadn't been in the Funland Arcade for a while, but nothing had changed since the last time. It still had the stylishly outdated carpet, the bleeps and rings from the video games, the whole place lit up in soft neon colors. Somewhere, someone scored, and a triumphant fanfare followed.

Jenny dashed up to the prize counter, followed by Sour Cream and a much calmer Buck. The three Crystal Gems brought up the rear. Pearl and Amethyst regarded the display with much less interest. At most, they gave everything a cursory glance and did a quick read of the "One Day Only!" poster on the far wall. The arcade still had the typical stuff, the plastic vampire fangs and the sticky-hands, but the special treasure took up the majority of it all.

Jenny pointed at the red bass that was hung up on the wall, the little sign reading "11,500 TICKETS" beside it. It was much prettier in real life—the pink and purple lights made the candy paint sparkle beautifully.

"There it is," Jenny all but drooled. "There's my baby."

Sour Cream had honed in on the jukebox in the corner. Even though the plastic and fake wood could be seen on close inspection, it also looked very appealing in the flashy lights. It was already plugged in and playing an old rock song almost inaudible under all the arcade music.

"It's beautiful," Sour Cream gasped. "I want to live inside that jukebox."

Buck saw the little cat bank on the shelf. He smiled. "Neat."

Mr. Smiley himself appeared seemingly out of a tear in the fabric of space, because the speed of his appearance made every single one of them jump a foot in the air. Of course, he just kept on smiling in that signature toothy way of his.

"Hello, young folk!" He waved a hand behind him at all the prizes, usual and special. "Here for our special one-day bonanza?"

Jenny once again pointed at the bass. "I want that baby."

Mr. Smiley gave a hearty laugh. "I'm sure you do! But you're going to have to work for it. The token machine's in the back, and every game in the park has 'em. Pay to your heart's content!"

Whoever was planning to respond to that—and Steven didn't know who—didn't get the chance to. Suddenly, someone came right up to the counter and all but shoved Jenny out of the way with their shoulder. The Pizza heiress stumbled into Buck, who caught her with no effort.

The newcomer was someone Steven had never seen before in his life, and he spoke to Mr. Smiley without any introduction. "Does that come in blue?"

Mr. Smiley followed the boy's finger (the nail covered in chippy black paint) to the bass guitar. "How about you win those tickets and we'll see what we can do, huh?" And here he laughed once again.

The stranger hummed. "Alright. P.B., Nickle, come on."

Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream were all shoved out of the way, while Steven and the Gems had to stumble out of their path. The two people flanked the first one, two teenage girls, and in either hand they held bundles of tickets. Steven couldn't count them, but it was quite a lot, and they made a fair pile atop the glass counter.

Chippy Black Nail Polish elbowed both of them at the same time. "What do you want?"

One pointed to the jukebox. The other pointed at the cat bank.

The ringleader leaned forward on the counter, propping his chin on his hand, and with the other pointed to the array in a lazy circle. "How much for the bass, the juke, and the cat?"

Mr. Smiley looked down at the pile. "More than that, I can tell you!"

The Beach City Six (as Steven had officially dubbed them in his mind) had listened and watched this exchange with confusion and alarm, but it was Steven who first reacted. He had to push his way through the Cool Kids to finally get face-to-face with Mr. Smiley. "How much of everything is there?"

Mr. Smiley pointed up one finger. "One of each!"

Steven bit back a groan. "Hm..."

"Sorry, it was all that was in the storage unit I bought."

"What?"

"Nevermind. As long as you got the tickets, you can have it. But I'm not putting anything on hold, I'm not going to negotiate, and the first one to come with the pay gets the prize."

The Beach City Six did not object to this, because...it was fair. Pretty fair.

Chippy Black Nail Polish raised a thin studded brow down at Steven. Steven couldn't tell how old the guy was. Maybe he was a teenager, maybe he was in his early twenties. Whatever his age, he had an impeccable sense of style. His leather jacket had too many zippers for Steven to keep up with. Part of his head was shaved, the other half wild black locks that were studded with tiny little diamonds. He looked like models in fashion magazines who wore clothes and makeup people didn't wear in real life.

"What are you going for, kid?" he asked.

Steven replied easily, "Oh, I'm not going for anything. But we were going to get some stuff today, too."

Chippy Black Nail Polish looked between the Cool Kids in turn. Buck offered a good-natured wave. Only one of the girls responded.

"What about you guys?" Chippy Black Nail Polish asked.

"Uh..." Jenny cleared her throat and pretended to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear despite the fact that her hair was as impeccable as ever. "Oh, I was just...looking...I'm still thinking about it."

Sour Cream offered, "The giant hamster ball looks pretty cool..."

Buck tapped a finger against the glass counter to the toys below. "Vampire teeth."

Chippy Black Nail Polish just blinked. "You're going for the same stuff we are, aren't you?"

This was met with a sheepishly agreeing chorus, during which Jenny chewed on her cheek and Sour Cream looked down at his shoes. Buck shrugged a shoulder and replied, "I honestly wouldn't mind the teeth."

Chippy Black Nail Polish laughed in a way that immediately put Steven on edge. It was one of those throw-the-head-back-and-close-the-eyes laughs. It was something the villains in his Saturday morning cartoons did.

"We'll see how that goes," he said once he was done. "None of you strike me as  _a_  bassist, let alone a good one."

Jenny bristled and took a step forward. "Well maybe I'm interested in learning!"

Steven tried to offer a, "How can you look at someone and tell if they're a good bassist or not?" but he was cut off.

The girl on Chippy Black Nail Polish's right stepped forward next. She was his complete opposite in every way, in casual denim shorts and a green flannel shirt over a black T-shirt. Her blonde hair was wild and unkempt and seemed to fly about no matter how slightly she moved. She was young, young enough to have freckles across her face, but she had  _that_  smirk, that smug little smirk that always bordered on a sneer and never went away. An anklet jingled above her right sneaker.

The girl—probably 'Nickle' judging by the silver N that dangled from her necklace—looked Sour Cream up and down. "Let me guess, the jukebox?"

Sour Cream narrowed his eyes defensively. "Yes."

Nickle looked down at the little gaming device he was still holding in his hands and snorted. "Eugh. Don't tell me you're one of those DJs that use video games to make music because you don't know how to play real instruments?"

Sour Cream didn't seem too phased, instead just tucking his device back into his pocket. "I don't need a stranger's validation."

Nickle raised a brow, still smirking. "You know what I'm going to play on that jukebox once I get my hands on it?"

"Rock and roll?"

_"Elevator music."_

Sour Cream visibly had to choke back the bile that was coming up his throat.

Chippy Black Nail Polish slid his gaze over to Buck. "Cat bank?"

Buck nodded.

Chippy Black Nail Polish elbowed the girl on the other side of him. She was wearing an orange sweater with sleeves so long they covered her hands, but also khaki shorts. Her green beanie was pulled so far down her face Steven couldn't even see her eyes, just her lips and the locks of short black hair that fell out.

"What do you say about that, P.B.?" Chippy Black Nail Polish prodded.

P.B. looked back at the prizes and pointed at the hamster ball.

Chippy Black Nail Polish glowered at her.  _"P.B."_

She gave him finger-guns.

Chippy Black Nail Polish glared at her just a second longer before turning back to the others. He and Nickle both had the same look on their faces—one brow raised, smirking, far too smug for no real reason. P.B. was very similar to Buck in that she had not reacted in any way the entire time and still didn't.

"Well," drawled Chippy Back Nail Polish, "Guess we don't have much competition to worry about."

Jenny's hands went to her hips as she leaned forward, eyes narrowed at the taller boy almost in warning. "Sorry, my memory's not that great. I don't recall  _doing anything to get this kind of attitude."_

Nickle snorted again. "We came here from Ocean Town to get this stuff. We're planning on succeeding."

"Well," said Steven, "we're all going to try and get what we want. We can all get tickets and we can all get something. We're not trying to steal from you guys, and you guys won't be stealing from us."

Chippy Black Nail Polish leaned down and down and down and even then he wasn't eye to eye with Steven as he met the boy's gaze. "Good luck with that, shortstack."

"Thank you. Good luck to you, too."

"You're going to need it."

"It's a lot of tickets. I'm sure we will."

"Try not to cry when we win."

"I won't. It'll legally be yours and I promise I'll be a good sport about—"

"Dude, I am  _trying_  to trash-talk here."

"Oh. Uh." Steven put one hand on his hip and pointed the other at the taller boy, but his voice was about as strong as a feather when he countered, "We're going to win, you...you...stylish taller person!"

Chippy Black Nail Polish seemed satisfied and stood back to his full height. While P.B. and Nickle turned for the exit, he lingered just to give everyone one last taunting lookover.

"See you at the end of the day, I guess." He shrugged. "Or not. We'll probably get what we need by lunch."

And with that, he turned away, and Steven saw that the bottoms of his black boots were stark red. It was so goshdarn fashionable that he couldn't even try to be annoyed.

Jenny didn't even need to try. As soon as the three kids—the New Kids, Steven guessed—were out of sight, she let out a furious  _"Ooooooooh!"_  and stamped her foot and threw her hands down at the same time. Buck immediately took one hand out of his pocket to set on his shoulder.

"I cannot  _stand_  people like that," Jenny growled out. "Bein' mean for no other reason than bein' mean. They don't deserve any of this stuff!"

"It's theirs if they can get the tickets," Sour Cream sighed. "The idea of a machine that cool being used to play something as sacrilegious as elevator music makes my skin crawl, but hey. It's fair."

"Which is why  _we_  have to get that stuff first." Jenny turned to all of them with a newfound determination glowing in her eyes. "Alright, we've got to get into motion  _now_. I'm going to go toss rings at bottles because my wrists have  _perfect_  rotation. You guys figure out what you'll do. Steven, uh...tell your friends we'll all meet back here at eight tonight."

Steven turned around, confused and expecting to see Pearl and Amethyst just behind him. Instead, he saw that they were all the way at the other side of the building, once again arguing with one another.

Sour Cream and Buck went ahead and split, leaving Steven to give an awkward "Will do" to Jenny before jogging up to the two Gems.

He approached while Pearl was speaking, but couldn't bring himself to interrupt.

"...kind of agreement because we can't keep going like this." Pearl pointed between the two of them. "We're on a time limit, Amethyst."

Amethyst's hands curled into fists, and she looked very close to stomping a foot. "So what, I'm not  _allowed_  to be angry? I have to pretend to be happy just so we can fuse again? You  _know_  we can't stay fused while we're like this."

"I also know we can't  _not_  stay not-fused. Amethyst, you have to think about—"

"I  _am_  thinking about it," Amethyst very nearly screamed. "I'm thinking about it and I'm getting even  _angrier_. You get to be as angry as you want for however long you want, but  _I_  have to just—just— _time_  myself! And what do you think is going to happen when time's up, huh? I'm just  _magically_  going to be happy and ready to fuse again?"

"I. Don't.  _Know_ , Amethyst. I keep telling you I don't know and I'm  _sorry_  and I  _wish_  it weren't like this."

"Look." Amethyst walked away a few feet, in the direction of the arcade games that continued to blink and ring, and turned back to Pearl. "If we only got so long, so be it. I'm going to go have fun. Do what you want."

She didn't bother to say anything else than that. She made a beeline for the token machine and didn't so much as look back over her shoulder.

Pearl and Steven were left alone once again, and Pearl ran a hand down her face. She had exhaustion on her face that was different from before, somehow sadder. Steven didn't know what to say.

Pearl looked down at him and smiled very tiredly. "Want to go play some games?"

* * *

Pearl, as it turned out, was incredibly good at the climb-the-rope-bridge game. She had some kind of explanation ("It's an almost shameful scam, really. The ropes are only tied once at each end, so a human cannot find  _any_  gravity. I'm surprised this isn't illegal.") and it had to be true. While others made it about halfway or less before flipping over and falling to the bouncy bottom below, Pearl all but danced up and down and up again. Each time she made it she got a little stuffed animal and fifty tickets.

She was so good, in fact, that the man in charge of the game had to ask her to stop.

They gave most of the toys to kids in line and kept going. Steven could have once again detailed on how this was odd, walking around so casually with fifty percent of a person he knew, but he just had to accept it at this point.

What he could  _not_  accept, however, was the tension between her and Amethyst. He knew Opal would be back, it wasn't  _that_  bad of a fight, but the way they talked about time limits and this-is-more-important had him concerned.

Pearl eventually stopped in front of a food vendor. She gave him an oh-so-motherly smile and asked, "Do you want something to eat?"

"Oh! Uh...Sure. Thanks!"

Pearl took a few bills out of her Gem—she apparently had a stash in there, she'd been pulling bills out every time she played a game—and passed them to the worker behind the counter. "One pretzel with cheese on the side, please."

The worker turned away, and Steven asked, "You aren't going to get something?"

"What? Oh, no-o-o-o-o!" Pearl laughed, but then her face pulled together in a disgusted wince. "Eating isn't really a hobby of mine. Although...If I asked for a funnel cake, do you think they would have hummus?"

"You could ask."

"...No. It's fine." The pretzel came freshly salted and steaming hot. Pearl took it and gave it to Steven very carefully so that his fingers only ever touched the napkin. "There you go."

They fell into a side-by-side walk again, all while Steven nibbled at his pretzel. Pearl had her arms folded behind her back, and Steven knew that she was holding back nervousness. Her gaze never stayed straight, her strides not as graceful as they should have been. Once she stopped mid-step to avoid a crumpled wrapper.

"So..." Steven tore off a pretzel chunk and dipped it in cheese. "It's good to see you again."

Pearl smiled. "It's good to see you, too. I'm sorry we haven't talked like this before, just me and you. I'm sure you have questions."

"Not really. I mean, you don't need to worry about it. Um...I do have some questions, but I don't just want to jump into it."

"Well, why don't you give me some beginning questions?"

"That'll work! Okay—what's your favorite color, your favorite Crying Breakfast Friends character, aaaaaaand your...least favorite color?"

"Hm...I'll say pastel blue...Raspberry Yogurt...and that muted color that's not quite yellow, not quite green, and looks like if human sickness was given a color."

"Oh, I  _hate_  that color."

"It's not appealing at all! Alright. Now you."

Steven nodded, but looking at the game that was coming up, he stuffed another pretzel bite into his mouth and pointed. "Oh, oh, oh! Hold on, let's do this one!"

Pearl followed at once, and Steven explained, "So what you want to do is keep shooting water into the clown's mouth. The more water you get in, the bigger the balloon will get, and if you pop it in time, you win!"

"Sounds simple enough." Pearl handed three dollars to the attendee, and while he got her water gun ready, she said once again, "Now give me your questions."

"Okay. Uh...How do you feel about the whole Ruby situation?"

Pearl did not answer for a moment. The jet of water coming from her gun was filling the balloon non-stop. She was hardly even looking.

"I think," she said at last, "that we should not force ourselves to forgive Ruby just yet.  _However_ , I do think that the situation is not as important as everything else. So at most, I believe we should...'set it aside'."

"Amethyst doesn't agree?"

"No." The balloon burst. While the helper set up another one, and Pearl fished out another three dollars, she continued, "I'm not trying to invalidate her opinion, I just think she's getting madder that I'm not agreeing with her than she is about what Ruby did. Despite the fact that, as you are aware, we are supposed to be on the same side and I have done nothing to warrant this kind of reaction from her. So if anything, she's just  _trying_  to find something to be angry about, and that something is  _me_ , and apparently, if I don't sit back and take it, then I'm being condescending and treating her unfairly so now I feel like I'm the villain despite the fact that I have done nothing wrong."

Another balloon burst as she said this. Actually, four. At some point Pearl had completely given into her anger, and the poor helper was left to hurriedly replace each balloon while he got soaked in water. Steven didn't know whether to interrupt or not.

Pearl took a deep breath and stepped back from the gun at last. When the helper came with five teddy bears and dripping from head to toe, she put two and two together in her head and slid him the extra money. He very stiffly handed her a hundred tickets in response.

Pearl put on a smile again. It still did not look convincing in the slightest. "This is just something between Amethyst and I, Steven. Don't worry about it."

"Uh, okay. But you said you guys were on a time limit."

Pearl wilted at once. The smile fell, her eyes tilted up to the sky, she took another deep breath.

"We'll explain it to you later," she groaned. "Over a cup of cocoa and pepper."

"Okay, if you say so." Steven pinched off some pretzel and held it out to her. "You sure you don't want anything?"

"Yes. Well—No. I'll take it."

Steven gave it up with a smile. When Pearl reached into her Gem and took out a little container of wasabi, he didn't comment on it.

* * *

He spent a long time with Pearl walking the amusement park. In total, she got banned from seven games, and they won more than twenty toys and more tickets than Steven could possibly count.

Eventually, when the thought of the other half of Opal weighed too heavily on his mind, Steven bid her farewell and turned back for the arcade. Pearl did not seem to mind at all, but maybe that was because Steven didn't tell her that he was going to see the purple Gem.

When he walked in, he saw that Sour Cream was at a game in the corner, one where you played a harmonica with the buttons. He had a small crowd rooting for him, and tickets came out in a steady stream to curl up on the floor. Nickle was also there, playing the game that had you riding a plastic motorcycle that tilted and turned as you pleased. The pile of tickets near her showed she'd been playing for a while, despite the line of young children that were waiting with somber faces.

It took a moment to find Amethyst. She actually wasn't playing a game, instead standing inside the Tornado Tube. The wind whipped at her hair, but she hardly even blinked. She just calmly reached out and grabbed the tickets as they flew by. She somehow managed to get every single one of them in one go.

Once it was over, and she stepped out, she caught sight of Steven and waved him over. It was extremely casual.

"They sell food here, right?" She groaned and rubbed a ticket-filled hand over her belly. "I'm  _staaaaarving_."

"Yeah, but here." Steven used the hand that wasn't holding the squishy dinosaur toy to reach into his back pocket. He pulled out the slightly-squished chocolate bar. "I got this for a prize. You can have it."

"Thanks," Amethyst said, but then she ate the dinosaur toy instead. Steven was left blinking at his empty hand while she licked her fingers clean. "Alright, give me a game that's fun. All this stuff is too calm for me."

"Will do. Follow me, Madame."

Steven led her through the rows of games, and as they passed, he spotted Chippy Black Nail Polish. He was at a virtual shooting game and had put it in two-player mode so he could double-fire. Every time he hit a virtual, honestly-too-cutely-designed-for-such-a-violent-game-enemy, he whooped and snickered far too loudly than anyone else would.

Amethyst scrunched her nose at him as they passed. "Something tells me that guy's a few minutes short of a movie."

Steven couldn't help but nod as Chippy Black Nail Polish whooped and cackled again. "A few colors short of a rainbow."

"A few pins short of a bowling alley."

"A few trees short of a forest."

"I was waiting so long to have this conversation," Amethyst sighed. As they kept walking, however, she seemed to slow down just slightly. Her voice wasn't exactly happy as she asked, "But you want to talk about serious stuff, don't you?"

Steven cast his eyes down to his shoes. Another cackle. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"Nooooooo." Amethyst ran both hands down her face until her lower lids were pulled back from her eyes. "We should talk about it, even if it's, like, super boring. Just know I'm not really good with this stuff. So, uh...Ask away. I guess. I don't know."

"Okay. Well, uh...Here, let's set you up at this game first."

Steven pulled her over. The game was mostly a red rectangle but the top had a large, cartoonish, brightly-painted figure of a mustachioed man from the waist up. The fake man had abs like iron and eyes painted like fire. One hand was held up at a ninety-degree angle towards Amethyst and Steven, the elbow on a flat red surface. The very flashy text printed on its front read, 'Do You Have What It Takes to Beat  _THE MUSCLE MAN?!._ '

(Steven almost lost it.)

"Okay, here." Steven gestured for Amethyst to take the fake hand in hers. "It's arm-wrestling. You can do that, right?"

Amethyst hocked up a wad of saliva and spat it into her palm. Steven tried not to be too disgusted. "I'm going to cream this thing."

"Alright." Steven put in a token, and the game gave of a beginning chime. "So, uh...What's your favorite food?"

"Motor oil," Amethyst answered easily.

The arm twitched to motion, but with as much ease as turning a sheet of paper, Amethyst had it pinned. The game spat out a stream of ten tickets.

Amethyst looked almost upset that it was so easy. "What, that's it?"

"Well, you were on the lowest setting." Steven pointed at the little arrow-shaped switch on the side of the machine. It was a simple green-to-red meter—Bright green was 'Easy', orange was 'Medium', and Red was 'Yeah, right.' "A lot of people got their feelings hurt by the game, so Mr. Smiley had to do a difficulty setting. Farthest I've gotten was sherbet orange."

"Well, let's do it," Amethyst urged him. "Next question?"

"What's your favorite animal?" asked Steven while he dug for another token.

"Pandas."

"You have exquisite taste. What's your favorite game?"

In Amethyst's distraction, the arm moved her hand back a few inches. Amethyst barely even grunted before sliding the back of it back down on the red surface. Another ring, and seventy tickets began their stream out of the slot.

"That one where you have to get all your pieces into one space and you passively-aggressively send people back to the start. Also, mahjong. Come on, Steven!" Amethyst shook a fist. "Get me all the way!"

"Alright." Steven cranked the difficulty all the way to 'Yeah, right.' and pressed the blinking red button next to 'You sure about that?' "Here we go."

The coin went in, the chime came, and then Amethyst grunted. Steven was already worried. Something in the machine was starting to churn and hum in a way he had never heard before. Now, Steven had turned it all the way up before. Not to try, just out of curiosity. The hand had cracked down on the surface at about seventy miles per hour. He hadn't been the only one—there was a noticeable dent in the right side of the surface.

Every muscle in Amethyst's arm was flexing to its full capacity. A bead of sweat appeared on her brow. The machine hummed louder; Steven almost got the feeling that the Muscle Man's fiery eyes were taunting the purple Gem.

"Any more questions?" Amethyst all but spat out to Steven. She and the Muscle Man's hand were locked in a standstill.

"Um...If you don't mind me asking, how do you feel about the thing with you and Opal—I mean, you and Pearl and Ruby?"

At once, the Muscle Man's arm was tipped further to the losing side. Amethyst's face had already shifted from clear strain to chilly anger.

"Look," she said, and even trying to keep her voice level, she was still working at full capacity, "Neither of us are ready to forgive Ruby for what she pulled. I know Pearl isn't saying that, but she's saying that we should just—what, ignore it? Like, I obviously know it's not as important as Homeworld coming and shattering us all, but the longer we ignore it, the worse it's going to get."

The humming and grinding was now accompanied by a faint popping sound. Steven took a cautionary step away from the machine. "Well...Why don't you talk to Ruby, then?"

"Because  _we_  shouldn't have to." Amethyst gripped the machine with her free hand. Her grip on the Muscle Man's fake hand was so tight now, Steven's hand throbbed just looking at it. "I get that Ruby's been saying she's sorry. I get that I'm saying we shouldn't ignore it even though Ruby's been coming to us about it, but...Ugh, look! I don't make sense when I'm angry, alright?"

Steven took another step back from the machine. The sounds had become a broken-record chopping sound. He had no idea what it was, just that the difficulty shift was trembling. The Muscle Man's hand was just less than a foot away from going down.

"Well..." Steven swallowed. "That's—"

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm not ready to forgive Ruby yet! We can give it time without ignoring it! There's a difference between 'I'm-still-mad-and-I'm-not-ready-to-talk-about-it' and 'Let's-just-pretend-this-isn't-happening'! And you know what?! That's not even what I'm really mad about! It's the fact that Pearl is pulling her better-than-you crud again and it's making me feel stupid just because I'm angry! And not only do I feel stupid just because I'm angry  _and_  have a reason to be, but I'm not  _allowed_  to be as angry as I want because _I'm_ on a time limit and it's not FAIR—!"

The Muscle Man's arm pounded down with a reverberating BOOM and a final crunch of obliterated mechanisms. Amethyst kept gripping the fake hand, even when sparks began to fly and it came loose in her hand. The entire thing just shut down completely. Steven couldn't even begin to imagine how much it would cost to repair.

Amethyst only reacted when the front of the machine fell away and every ticket inside spilled out. She and Steven were left staring down at them all—most were still on the reel.

"Does this count as cheating?" asked Steven.

"How much is the hardest setting supposed to get?" asked Amethyst.

"I don't know, no one's ever made it that far."

"Maybe we're supposed to take all of them."

"Let's take half?"

"Let's take half." Amethyst grabbed the reel, and with one tug of her arm, had half of it unfurling up into the air and on the floor and into her awaiting palm. She did this all calmly, but once the reel was back on the floor, she grabbed Steven's hand and hoofed it for the entrance. "Run, soldier,  _run_!"

* * *

Most of the day from then on was odd.

Steven spent his time going from Amethyst to Pearl and back again, sometimes playing a game to get tickets as the plan was. Amethyst did not wish to talk about the dispute between her and Pearl and Ruby, instead focusing more on the games they were playing and the other casual questions Steven gave her. (Her favorite musical instrument was the drums, her favorite sport was dancing, and if she could have one superpower she would want to be able to change the colors of things for no reason other than it would be really cool.)

Pearl was just the opposite, at least as the day went on. Amethyst didn't, but she seemed to catch on that Steven was travelling between the two Gems in turn. So whenever he left, she would all but urge him away, and when he returned she would ask for any updates on her purple companion. Every hour that passed, she would get antsier and antsier, until she couldn't even think straight. (Her favorite genre of music was apparently sarsaparilla, case en point.)

Steven, at a certain point, didn't even know what he was feeling about it all. He was frustrated because he couldn't help the two of them the way he wanted to, but he was resigned because there was really nothing he could do because this was between Amethyst and Pearl. He was anxious because he still didn't know what "time limit" they were talking about. He was annoyed that his one day off was instead yet another day of turmoil, but ashamed for having such a thought that villainized Amethyst and Pearl.

At some point, as Amethyst was throwing darts at balloons (the attendee was getting more and more distressed because despite the gold ones being about as big as a quarter, she was hitting them all), Steven asked, "So, uh, is everything okay?"

Amethyst threw one last dart (that once again hit its target) and turned to him with a half-confused, half-annoyed face. "No?"

"No, I mean, uh..." Steven fumbled to find his words. "Do you  _feel_  okay?"

 _"...No?"_  Amethyst took the three-hundred tickets the attendee slid over to her. She gave him a dollar for three more darts, and they were given to her with much anxiety. "Look, can we just keep playing games? I don't want to talk about heavy stuff right now."

So that had failed, and after another six hundred tickets, Steven bid her adieu to find Pearl. She was in the arcade now, playing a game where you had to hit a button just right to get the 200 dollar jackpot. Judging by the very sizable pile that came almost to her shins, she had been doing good for a while.

Steven walked over to join her, passing by P.B. as he did so—she was firing at targets on a screen with a marksman's ability. She gave him a two-finger salute as he passed. When Pearl saw him coming, she pressed the button on instinct. It only streamed out twelve tickets, not that she minded.

"Steven," she cried as he approached. "I was just wondering when you'd be coming!"

"Here I am," he joked awkwardly. He pointed down at the tickets beside her. "How many are those?"

"I lost count. Let's keep going, and you can tell me what you've been doing, okay?"

Just then, a little hand reached up and tugged on Pearl's bow. Both she and Steven turned to see a small boy, maybe seven, with a gap in his front teeth and a handful of tickets. He pointed at the game, then at Pearl.

"Oh!" Pearl stepped back and went to gathering up her tickets. "Of course, go ahead."

The boy moved to take her place, but Mr. Smiley once again came out of stark nowhere. He clapped the boy on the shoulder, laughed, and declared, "I think we're going to have to see what's left in there, okay?"

He kept smiling at Pearl and Steven, but it clearly said 'Please go away now.' The two of them hauled all the tickets in the direction of the counting machine.

Pearl held the many, many tickets while Steven prepared the machine. He hit the 'TURN INTO RECEIPT' option, and grabbed the first line of tickets.

"So," Pearl said as the machine began to swallow them up, "What have you been doing? Having fun? Playing games? Staying hydrated? Talking to Amethyst? Having fun?"

"Yes to all." Pearl eventually took a seat, elegantly cross-legged, and handed him the tickets to feed into the slot. "Amethyst said she...liked playing the games. So..."

"She does like outlets." Pearl twisted the sash around her waist, twined and untwined her pale fingers. "Did she...seem okay?"

"No...?" At Pearl's look of alarm, Steven quickly explained, "She's still upset, that's all. Aren't you still upset?"

"Of course I am."

"At who?"

Pearl finally just deflated. She propped her elbow on her knee, cradled her chin in her palm. "I'm not happy at anyone right now, but I don't know if I even have the energy to be angry anymore."

There was a pause, full of the ringing of the arcade games and the soft whirring of the machine eating up the tickets.

Steven finally just worked it up. "Are you sure you guys can't tell me what's going on now?"

"Hot cocoa and pepper," Pearl replied very apologetically.

"Okay..." Steven couldn't help but sigh. "Can you at least tell me why?"

"It's complicated, and it goes back a very long time."

"Can I ask you about something else, then?"

"Of course!"

"Um..." Steven swallowed. "What was it like between you and Amethyst and Mom?"

The last of the tickets were swallowed up. Pearl did not answer for a very long time, not until long after the receipt had come out. Her face carried a sudden but subtle heaviness to it. Somehow, her face had gone lax, but her blue eyes had a terrible pain in them as they stared down at the carpet.

Pearl took a deep breath and took the receipt. "Hot cocoa and pepper."

"Steven! Ballerina lady!"

Pearl and Steven both jumped up to their feet at once. Sour Cream came running over, his backpack bouncing between his shoulders. He somehow wasn't panting, however, and he spoke very calmly when he came to them.

"We're having an emergency meeting at the rollercoaster. Every one of us needs to get there  _stat_!"

* * *

The quick run to the rollercoaster took all of three minutes. Buck was already awaiting them, propped up against the wooden frame of the ride with his backpack at his feet. He turned to them as they approached.

"Jenny wanted us to rendezvous," he told them. "Just so we know how far we've gotten."

The Fish Stew Pizza heiress herself came bounding up, and behind her a somewhat disgruntled looking Amethyst. She and Pearl locked eyes at once, but while Amethyst turned her head and glared off to the side, Pearl kept watching her, concern written all over her face.

"Okay, everybody!" Jenny shrugged her pack off her shoulder. "Get out all your tickets and see what we've got."

It didn't take as long as it could have, thankfully. Everyone had been smart enough to get their tickets done at the counter, too, so it was just a matter of counting all of those and a few dozen lines of tickets to get it all summed up. Sour Cream took note of everything on a notepad, until finally he pulled a calculator out.

"Alright," he mumbled to himself as his fingers tapped across the keys, "Counting up every ticket, we should have..." He hit the 'equal' sign, and his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Whoa."

Everyone crowded around the calculator to see for themselves. Needless to say, a lot of eyebrows went up foreheads.

"Yo," said Amethyst.

"We've got this," laughed Steven.

"We should all be proud of ourselves," declared Buck.

Jenny seemed just as happy as the rest of them, but her joy came in the form of a fire in her eyes. Clearly, that cherry red bass guitar was just a reach away to her.

"Okay," she told them, "We're almost there, but we can't give up now. Come on, let me show you some new info."

All the tickets and receipts went into Jenny's pack. She pulled a folded piece of paper from the waistband of her leggings, and opened it to reveal a map of Funland in its entirety. The six of them leaned over it in a very sports-team-getting-spirited-for-the-game fashion.

"All of the skill games are giving out a lot of tickets if you win." Her finger pointed them all out, tapping against the paper. "But most are pretty scammy, so be careful. The balloon darts are probably the best. The basket toss is giving out a lot, too, but there are a lot of children at those, so don't hog 'em. Everything else is pretty standard. Usually twenty tickets, maybe fifty."

Steven pointed out a red spot. "What's that?"

"Nothing, that's ketchup from when I was having a hot dog earlier. Also, the shoot-the-star-out game is closed."

"What?" gasped Steven. "Aww, I watched a video on how to win those things! I was just going to go do it. What happened?"

"Some psycho got frustrated with the game and shot at the person helping." Jenny's eyes narrowed around at everyone. Disgust curled her upper lip. "It didn't hurt them, but they don't have anyone else who can cover the game, so it's out. I'm not going to call names or anything, but apparently, the guy had  _chippy black nail polish_."

"Okay," Sour Cream said at once. A hand slapped to his forehead. "Okay, okay, okay. That guy is seriously messed up. I'm not even going to give him any benefit of the doubt."

"I told you, he's mean just to be mean!" Jenny shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, other than the Muscle Man machine being broken, everything in the arcade is still good. Just know that if you keep winning tickets at one game, Mr. Smiley  _will_  give you a look to kill."

Jenny began to fold up the map once again. "We've still got plenty of time, so everyone get out there and—"

"Jenny?"

"Yeah, Steven?"

"Where are our tickets?"

Everyone looked down at the wooden boards below them. Jenny's pack had been lying between all their feet, but now it was gone. No one had even noticed a flicker of movement.

Jenny dropped the map at once. Her hands flew up to her hair, pulling as she danced in place, looking around everywhere she could. "No, no, no, no, no! What happened?!"

"No one moved!" cried Steven.

Amethyst looked up to find Pearl giving her a focused look. Immediately, she threw her hands up in the air and cried, "Don't look at me! What, you think I—?!"

"I wasn't looking at you!" snapped Pearl. "Look!"

She pointed, and everyone turned. A few feet away, there was something lying on the wood, something that definitely hadn't been there before—an anklet, one that seemed very familiar even though none of them could place it.

Jenny went to pick it up, and as it dangled from her fingertips, her dark brown eyes narrowed into slits. Slowly, like a snake swallowing a mouse, her hand closed around the anklet until her fists was squeezed white.

"We need to go report this," she hissed.

* * *

All six of them went to the Funland Arcade with full intent to go to Mr. Smiley and tell him, bluntly, that someone had stolen all of their tickets and would he please make some kind of announcement.

Instead, they quickly found out where the tickets went.

Nickle came out of the arcade, pretty much riding on the jukebox by her waist up. Once she caught sight of the Beach City Six, that smug, slimy smile crept onto her face once more. How a teenage girl somehow managed to look like a viper amazed and scared Steven.

"Oh, hey," she greeted them oh so sweetly. "How's it going, crew?"

Sour Cream looked at the jukebox with a longing and heartbreak that had Steven reaching out to pat him on the arm. Jenny, however, gave the blonde a very, very flat look. Steven had never seen Jenny so coldly annoyed before.

"Pretty good, pretty good," she drawled. "I mean, until someone  _stole all of our tickets_."

Nickle's eyebrows went up in feigned shock. The way she spoke, you'd think she was a breathy young girl from an old black-and-white film. "Oh, no! Well, if it makes you feel any better—" And here she held up Jenny's pack, which had been dangling from her hand hidden behind the jukebox. "—I think I found your backpack."

She tossed it to Jenny, who effortlessly caught it from the air. Of course, when she zipped it open, she found it empty. Her look went flatter and colder.

"I, uh, don't suppose  _you_  were the one who took all of our tickets?" she asked.

The smug sweetness that lied beneath Nickle's sympathy was sickening. "Oh! Well, they didn't have your name on them, so I didn't think they were yours!"

"Well, my  _pack_  has my name on it, and they were in my pack, so..."

The pretend just stopped. Back was the smile, and with it a single brow raised up tauntingly. "Shall we take this to Funland court?"

"Oh, no, there's no need for that. In fact, that would work very well for me, because I just found this very cute anklet, but it doesn't have anyone's name on it, and it's not on anyone's ankle, so I guess it's mine!"

Jenny held up the anklet in a very striking power move. Nickle didn't move, but Steven saw a sort of darkness in her face. Even though it stayed the same, there was a very cold look in her eye. Being backed into a corner apparently wasn't something that happened to her often.

"I guess so," she said at last, cold and slow. "I'll be seeing you guys later. Bye, Beach  _Pity_  kids!"

Nickle zoomed away on the jukebox, and with it she took a piece of Sour Cream's hope in humanity. The DJ let out a shaky breath and hung his head.

Steven turned to everyone. "What are we going to do? We can't get that many tickets again in such a short time!"

Buck was the only one with an answer. "We're just going to have to try our best."

"But she can't just steal our tickets like that!"

Buck reached out and put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Sometimes the universe punishes the good and rewards the wicked."

Sour Cream hung his head low. "Elevator music..."

Jenny tossed the anklet into her bag—she was going to have to bleach it a few hundred times before she even considered wearing it—and put it back over her shoulder. A lot of determination had clearly been sapped out of her.

"Let's just get what we can," she told them all. "We'll get what we get. We've still got two hours."

"One hour," Mr. Smiley's voice called out from the depths of the arcade.

"What?!" everyone cried.

"One hour," Mr. Smiley repeated. "Funland  _closes_  in two hours. The one-day special ends in  _one_."

The six Beach City residents were left in a stretch of shocked silence. A wadded-up napkin drifted, a tumbleweed.

Then Jenny screeched, like a tortured banshee,  _"EVERYBODY MOVE!"_

* * *

Okay, in all honesty, Steven honestly wasn't  _that_  worried about getting the guitar at that point.

He wanted Jenny to get it, don't get him wrong, but what was happening between Amethyst and Pearl was a lot more important. He just couldn't stand by any longer. He knew this was between the two of them, but apparently they were in need of a nudge in the right direction.

Amethyst had gone the second Jenny had announced the new game plan, and Pearl made no attempt to follow, even though it was clear she wanted to. For several minutes, she and Steven stood in front of the skeeball game, neither of them moving. Pearl's hands folded and unfolded.

"So," she said, "Do you want to go first or—"

"You and Amethyst need to talk."

"What?"

Steven took a breath to steady himself. "Look...I know you guys are in a really tough spot right now. You're both hurt, but you're also on different sides, which hurts even more. But Amethyst is right, even if she's being kind of complicated about it. You guys need to talk, or it's not going to get better."

Pearl blinked at him for a moment, then sagged. A hand reached up and covered her mouth. The tired, sad look was back once again, but with it some kind of relief.

"I know you're right," she sighed. "I can't believe we let...We just..."

Finally, she reached down and set a hand atop his curls. "We're going to need to talk to you after this."

Steven was surprised by this, but he simply nodded in the end. "Okay? Yeah."

Pearl reached up into her Gem and withdrew some more dollars and coins, pressing them into Steven's palm. She smiled at him, so motherly, so Opal-like, and for some reason that Steven didn't know, it kind of hurt.

"We'll be back soon," she said, and then she left.

* * *

Finding Amethyst was not so hard for Pearl, thankfully.

She did spend a bit longer than she wanted wandering around, calling Amethyst's name. Humans, of course, were not so used to the sight of a purple person walking around, so when she asked (as awkwardly and stiffly as she did) if they had seen her, they pointed and gave directions.

At some point, a worker—the same one who had been attending the target booth that day when Steven took Opal into town, something that struck her as very coincidental—came to her and monotonely asked, "Are you the one looking for the purple lady?"

"Yes."

The worker pointed. "She's up there and won't come down. Can you do something about it? There are people waiting in line."

It was the ride where you sat in a teacup that spun and spun many feet up in the air. Opal had ridden on it once—she'd had to shrink down just to fit in Steven. It had ended very poorly when Steven didn't quite... _agree_  with the motion sickness, but she wasn't going to dwell on that now.

She had to excuse-me-pardon-me her way through the line. She knew which one Amethyst was in by the mane of white hair that whipped around from inside.

Pearl couldn't wait for the ride to come to a stop, and didn't have to. With one well-timed and well-aimed jump, she was sailing up through the air, peaking high enough for everyone else to shrink beneath her, and then she landed with little effort within the teacup. She didn't even get a scratch.

Amethyst was on the other side, doing what she usually did when she was upset and closing herself off—pulling her legs to her chest, crossing her arms over them, and burying her face in her knees.

"How do you feel?" Pearl asked at once.

Amethyst's cold voice was muffled. "Not good."

Pearl had to bite back the worry and the panic. She knew she had to be thankful, that they had gotten this far, that all they had to worry about right now was "not good." But "not good" hadn't happened for quite some time. It didn't matter if it had been one year or a thousand. Pearl would always be afraid.

Pearl sat down. Even though they were still spinning, and the air was whipping by them, it didn't feel like it. They were focused on one another, even if Amethyst wasn't looking at her.

She began, "Amethyst—"

"I don't want to fuse yet. I shouldn't have to—"

"You shouldn't. I'm not going to make you, you know I can't. But you know..."

Amethyst growled, "Yeah, I  _know_! I know we  _have_  to. I know I don't have a choice."

"I'm not trying to control you, Amethyst. I—I..." Pearl ran a hand through her short, strawberry blonde hair. "I want you to be mad at me. I want you to do whatever you want. If I could make it that way, I'd do it in less than a second."

Amethyst didn't answer for a moment. When she replied, hesitance was peeking through her voice. "I don't want to be mad at you. I want  _to be able to_  want to be mad at you..."

Amethyst unfolded her legs. Her dark eyes were staring into her lap, watery.

"But that's not your fault," she went on. Now she just sounded very exhausted, as though the entire day had been wearing her down bit by bit and she was just barely hanging on. "I know it's not your fault. I just wanted to be mad at  _something_."

"I wasn't being fair to you before. I thought you were upset that I wasn't agreeing with you, and I was being very...condescending. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I wasn't taking you seriously."

Amethyst let out a breath. "I was kind of mad about that? Like...You don't have to agree with me about everything, and I don't have to agree with you about everything. But...I don't know, I guess I was just upset that you were saying we shouldn't think about what happened when it was making  _you_  upset."

"I don't want to ignore what happened. I just..."

"I know. I..." Amethyst growled again and covered her face with her hands. "There's no answer to this, is there? We either put a pin in it because it's really not that important, or we put a pin in it and let it become worse and worse."

"I suppose it really isn't black and white. Maybe—"

"Hey," the teacup-ride worker cut in, "Can you guys please come out now?"

Neither Gem had realized the ride had come to a stop and was back down to the entry gate. Amethyst and Pearl shared a look before Pearl asked, "Can we have one more go? We're having a serious discussion."

"Oh! Alright." The worker turned to the crowd to cry, "It's a serious discussion, folks!" and the crowd answered with a murmur of sympathy.

The ride started up again soon, and Pearl continued, "Maybe we should just wait a little while longer. I mean, Ruby's—"

"—our friend," agreed Amethyst, reluctantly. "Even though she really janked us over, she's still our friend. And...Yeah, I guess maybe we're going to forgive her. Eventually. Maybe."

"Right. Amethyst, I'm...sorry. I'm sorry I made you feel like I wasn't listening to you, and I'm sorry if it seemed like I was trying to force you to calm down. I'm sorry that we have to be like...this."

"You can't really apologize for the last thing," scoffed Amethyst. She crossed her arms over her chest again, but it lacked any distance. "Besides, it's not like I don't have a trillion and one things to thank you for. And, uh...I'm sorry, too. For trying to make you look like the bad guy."

Pearl leaned back in her seat. Even though they were still spinning, the stars above them were clear as ever. Amethyst saw her gazing and looked up, too. It was curious, she guessed, that what she saw was a bunch of pretty white lights in the sky, but that wasn't what Pearl saw.

"When was the last time we had a fight?" Amethyst asked.

"About a dozen years, I believe."

Amethyst snorted. "I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

Pearl chuckled. "Good friendships need a good fight every now and then, right, Ame?"

Amethyst had to try very hard to smile. It still didn't feel real, but Pearl was still watching the stars. "Sure. But since when do you call me 'Ame'?"

"You call me 'P'?"

"I'm not complaining. It's new. I like it.  _Agh_..."

Amethyst curled into herself, and Pearl snapped to attention at once. The way Amethyst had folded her body, she couldn't see what was happening, but she knew. She knew by the clench of the purple Gem's muscles and the furrow of her brow that she was trying very hard to keep it in. As it always did, it broke Pearl's heart.

Pearl reached out her hand, palm-up, an offering, not a command. Amethyst peeked up at her through her disheveled white hair, pained yet somewhat relieved. She took Pearl's hand in hers.

* * *

Steven thought he'd feel a lot better once Pearl left to go find Amethyst.

He was wrong.

Buck eventually came up to him. Behind his visor, he looked between the younger boy and the holes in the skeeball game. Steven was staring at them without moving a muscle.

"What did you get?" he asked.

"Buck Dewey, I will be honest with you. My concern for my friends has completely prevented me from gaining any tickets, as I have been standing in this spot for quite a while without moving."

"You're very empathetic. That's a good quality to have. But I'm here to tell you that I think you're good. Follow me."

Steven was confused, of course, but he did as he was asked. He had forgotten how late it was, and was startled by the starry night sky above the orange-pink glow of Funland. Which was funny, as he'd seen it before.

It made him think about Star, and he knew that they would talk that night. He didn't fear their conversations anymore, but every day they would await whether Steven had shared the news of their existence yet. Maybe they were excited, maybe they were afraid. It was hard to tell with someone who had no face.

It was just another tile in the mosaic of problems that become his life, though, so for the time, he had to just force it out of his mind.

As Buck led him forward, Steven saw a throng of people ahead. They were whooping and cheering for something, hands clapping, arms waving overhead. Somewhere in it all, Steven heard a shriek of joy from Jenny, a deep "Woo!" from Sour Cream.

He and Buck didn't have that hard a time making their way through.

What lied ahead both shocked and overjoyed Steven.

Opal stood before the basketball game like a Gem on a mission. The sight was déjà vu, back to their day here in Funland, which had been (similarly to now) kind of fun but also very bad in some ways. Just like then, two of Opal's hands would toss the basketballs into the net, while the other two would retrieve the ones that rolled down. Toss, pass, retrieve—it was as easy as clockwork. Each net got a little chime on the scoreboard, and at her pace, it might as well have been a song.

Someone whooped, high and joyous, and Steven realized that it was him. He was vaguely aware that Jenny had grabbed his shoulders and was shaking him while she danced on the spot.

It was weird, he guessed, that he had seen Opal just that morning but had missed her so much. And how, now, some part of him kind of missed Amethyst and Pearl. But he knew that this was how it was. Opal was Amethyst and Pearl, Amethyst and Pearl were Opal. There was no use in missing both or the other.

When the timer finally hit zero, the horn was completely drowned out by the cacophony of applause that shook through what felt like the entire amusement park. Opal, meanwhile, just clapped her hands together in a job well done. 179 nets. 895 tickets.

While the attendee, both amazed and exasperated, went to get the reward, Opal was swarmed by the Cool Kids. Jenny grabbed one of her hands and cried, over and over,  _"You're great, you're fantastic, you're incredible!"_  while Sour Cream declared that the next song he made would be entitled, "Tall Purple Basketball Master". Buck bowed to her.

Steven just went straight for a hug. Opal chuckled as he wrapped his arms tight, tight, tight around her knees and reached down to ruffle his hair.

"Hey," she greeted. "Told you I'd be back.

"I know," Steven sighed against her leggings. "I just..."

_This helps. There's a lot going on that I'm struggling with. I'm worried about Lapis, and Jasper, and Homeworld, and you and Ruby. I'm worried about something I can't tell you about. I'm just happy you're back because that makes things a little easier._

"Steven, listen..."

Opal bended down to him, frowning. Steven leaned back to meet her eyes. The hand in his hair twitched, fingers wrapping around the curls. It was still very motherly. It still kind of hurt.

"I knew you wanted a day out," Opal said in a sigh. "I know home's pretty bad right now; I know you're really upset about it and you wanted some time to relax. I'm sorry we took it over. You have enough to worry about as it is, we shouldn't have made things worse."

It takes pounds off his shoulders, and Steven breathes in a cool, deep, refreshing breath of air. He just smiles at her, even though he could hug her again. She smiles back. "It's okay. I'm just happy you guys are good now."

The rest of the crowd had dispersed, so when someone began to clap, it got everyone's attention.

Chippy Black Nail Polish was clapping his chippy-black-nail-polish-covered fingers together in a very slow, condescending tempo. He and Nickle (still perched on the jukebox) both had the same smile, so much alike that Steven wondered if they had rehearsed and also if they had any other expressions.

Sour Cream scoffed as the sarcastic applause continued. "Are you seriously doing the condescending slow clap?"

"Only one you deserve," countered Chippy Black Nail Polish. He finally stopped the clapping, not the smirk. "At least now, you guys can afford a cool pencil. Or, hey, I think one of the one-day offers is one of those teeth toys that you wind up!"

Jenny stomped forward, so close to the taller boy that if she wanted, she could go tip-toe and bite his nose off.

"Okay," she growled out, and stuck up a finger. " _One_ : your lackey  _stole_  our tickets, so don't come at me with this you-guys-deserve-this attitude. And  _two_ : What. Is. Your. Problem?! Did I run over your dog, or something? Did my dad kill your dad? Did I leave you the end pieces of the bread?!"

Chippy Black Nail Polish gave a honking laugh. "Nickle got those tickets because someone was too dumb to keep up with them—"

"That wouldn't hold up in a court of law and you know it."

"—and I'm like this because it's  _fun_. Just like how fun it'll be to get home and start playing  _this_."

He twisted around the strap that was going across his chest. Everyone saw, with a pang in the heart and a fire in the belly, that it was the candy red bass guitar. Jenny stared down at it with a frozen expression. Maybe it was brewing rage. Maybe she was going into shutdown.

"Nickle had some tickets leftover," Chippy Black Nail Polish sang. "That combined with what I got means this sweet thing is all mine. Just got it a few minutes ago. Maybe you could have gotten it, if you had a million more hours and a few thousands more brain c—"

"That's a game controller."

Chippy Black Nail Polish's smile faltered in confusion. "What?"

"That's a game controller. It's not real."

Jenny reached out to the guitar's neck. Instead of plucking a string and producing a tune, her finger pressed down on a square button that clicked at her touch. Chippy Black Nail Polish's face lost all of its cool composure. Wide-eyed and mouth agape, his fingers moved all around the guitar, as if strings would just come out of nowhere. His fingers just kept clicking away at plastic buttons.

He flipped it over, and he and Jenny both looked on the underside.

" _'Guitar Legend 5 Red Bass Guitar Controller_?!'" Chippy Black Nail Polish's eyes seemed almost to bug out of his skull. "WHAT?!"

Now it was Jenny's turn to smile a very satisfied, catlike smile. She patted the taller boy on his leather-clad shoulder. "You have fun with that~!"

Nickle threw her head back and gave a crow of laughter. The acidic glare Chippy Black Nail Polish threw over at her had it stifled into a cough. He turned back to Jenny, teeth bared in a snarl, but she just kept on smiling. Her mouth was pretty much shaped like a sideways '3' at this point.

"This isn't over," Chippy Black Nail Polish hissed.

Jenny sang back, "I have literally done nothing to warrant your hatred of me, but okay~!"

Chippy Black Nail Polish finally stormed away with the plastic guitar in tow. Nickle glared at the three teens one last time before kicking the jukebox forward and rolling after her friend. Sour Cream sighed, but he knew he had to let it go. He just worried for that poor jukebox.

Jenny watched the two teens go with her arms crossed, but she perked up when Steven came to her side.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," he told her. "I wish we could've gotten you the guitar."

Jenny scoffed and waved her hand, tinkling her bracelets. "It's fake, I don't want it! Besides, as long as they're unhappy, I'm happy."

"I really don't know what their deal is."

"Y'know, I like to think every mean person has a reason to be what they are, but uh...I'm coming up short here."

Sour Cream tapped them both on the shoulder. "We have a visitor."

P.B. came walking up to them—from the inside of the giant plastic hamster ball. She controlled the thing pretty well, for how wobbly it was. Once she came up to the group, she unzipped the little exit hole and very quickly passed over a handful of tickets.

What she did next surprised Steven. Her hands moved across her chest and head, her lips moving to sounds without producing them. One of her movements was a circle she made with her index finger, the last her fingers on her right hand unfolding with a sort of shrug. It had not occurred to Steven that he hadn't actually heard her speak before.

Buck turned to everyone and said, "She said it's only a few..."

Some more signs. The last had her making a circle over her chest.

"...But she's sorry..."

Many signs now, and Steven almost couldn't keep up with them. She pointed as if at Nickle and Chippy Black Nail Polish, then pulled one hand beneath another while making a snipping motion, and made a movement as if pulling something out of her ears.

"...She told them not to steal the tickets, but they don't listen to her."

Steven blinked down at the handful of tickets. He opened his mouth to reply, but then tried to recall the correct sign. He drew his fingers to his lips and drew them away. Judging by the tiniest of smiles that P.B. gave, this was correct for "thank you."

P.B. pointed at them all in turn, then made a gesture of twiddling her fingers over her heart.

"She said we're cool," Buck translated. He gave the sign back to her.

P.B. gave them all a two-finger salute, then rolled away and out of sight. Steven wondered why she even hung around people like Chippy Black Nail Polish and Nickle.

The attendee came back with the tickets at last, quite a lot to grasp. Opal took them, and added Steven's to the stack. Everyone added what they had to the stack, and then the Beach City Five looked at them all, thinking hard.

"What do you guys think we can get?" asked Opal.

* * *

Steven pressed another nickel onto the button. The little mechanical cat peeked out of the box with a mewl before its little white paw reached out and tugged the coin inside before ducking back in.

The Beach City Five all cooed in reply. Buck went ahead and gave the bank another nickel.

"Alright." Jenny stretched out her back with a sigh. "This didn't turn out like we hoped, but hey. It was fun. And we all got something."

Everyone flashed their neon vampire teeth at one another. Opal's mouth was too big for one of them, so she instead twiddled a squishy frog toy between her fingers.

"Alright." While Sour Cream and Buck departed, waving over their shoulders, Jenny lingered behind just long enough to give Opal and Steven finger-guns. "You guys stay cool! We'll see you around."

Opal and Steven waved until she turned and departed. Steven looked around at all the booths and games. They'd all stopped giving tickets now, and some had already closed down. But for the most part, the amusement park and the arcade were still going.

"Well," said Steven, "are you ready to head home?"

Opal's face twisted uncomfortably. "No...Not yet."

It was a grim reminder, but it was reality. This was kind of a 'bubbled' day. Nothing that had happened really affected everything else. Jasper was still at large, Lapis was still imprisoned in the ocean with Peridot, Star was still awaiting her introduction to the Crystal Gems. And, most of all, Opal was still very upset with Ruby. Ruby had still hurt her. That was a fact, it wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

It wasn't an easy fact to take, but he had to. So, instead, he cheerily asked, "You have anything else you want to do?"

Opal blew a raspberry out of her lips. "Want to go play skeeball for real?"

"Sure," he agreed.

He smiled, she smiled, and Steven decided that it wasn't an absolutely horrible day after all.


	8. The Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby finds herself involved in a police investigation, which would be fun if it wasn't for literally everything else in her life being awful.

Ruby threw another rock.

It sailed through the air, whistling softly but sharply. It shrunk smaller and smaller in the robin egg-colored sky, and after a second of invisibility, a tiny white flower splashed up from the ocean far down below. Then there was nothing, as the waves just swallowed the rock up and kept on rolling.

Ruby threw another rock.

She knew she could have been doing something else. She could have been training, she could have been searching the Beta Kindergarten again, and she could have even swum all the way to those green fingers that still reached up from the water. But, for once, she didn't have the energy.

Ruby threw another rock.

They were falling back. They still hadn't done anything about 'Chrysocolla' (not that she knew what they could do), Jasper was fixing up her ship somewhere, and if Homeworld hadn't picked up that something had gone wrong with Peridot's mission to Earth just yet, then surely they would soon. But it was hard to work when everything was in pieces.

Ruby threw another rock.

Sapphire was out doing...something. Ruby didn't know what she did on her expeditions these days. She didn't know why Sapphire didn't just stay in her Room when she was looking into the future. Ruby didn't bother asking her. Steven was inside, she knew. But she had no idea what he was doing, if anything, really. There wasn't much for Steven to do right now.

Ruby  _almost_  threw another rock.

Just as she reeled her arm back for the swing, movement down below made her freeze.

Opal was walking along the sand, the breeze lifting at her hair and the drape of her top. She must have gone to town for something—she'd done that yesterday, which surprised Ruby, because normally Opal wasn't one to take such trips. She was happy that she was getting more neighborly with the citizens, she guessed.

Ruby knew Opal wouldn't see her, and relaxed...unintentionally dropping the rock from her lax palm as she did so.

She flinched and tried to grab for it, but it was too late. The rock fell through the air, clipping the cliff's side in its descent, until it landed in the sand just a few feet from Opal's toes. The fusion stopped in her tracks, blinking down at it.

Ruby threw herself down on the grass before Opal even moved. She knew she was looking up, knew she would have seen her. What would she have done if they'd locked eyes? Stare awkwardly at one another; give a little wave, stand still while those blue eyes glared daggers up at her?

She kept hidden until she felt brave enough to peek over the edge. Opal was gone, only a trail of footprints leading to Steven's Room behind her. Ruby let out a sigh of relief and pushed herself back up to her feet.

Ruby picked up another rock and paused. She stood there, the grass swaying in the breeze, the smoky gray clouds on the horizon hinting at a storm later that afternoon.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself aloud.

Ruby was no coward; she would take any threat by the horns. But there was a difference between throwing punches at Gem monsters and Homeworld cronies and dealing with a huge mess she'd made.

Opal didn't glare at her anymore, didn't storm away when Ruby came forward. But she was not at all showering Ruby in affection. She still didn't talk to her unless she absolutely had to, and even then, it was in short, clipped sentences. When Ruby came forward, even for the benign question of 'who's going to make dinner tonight?' the fusion braced herself in a way that said, "What do you want?"

But, you know, it wasn't like Ruby could be mad at her. At all. Because every little bit of her anger was absolutely, one-hundred-percent justified.

Ruby didn't know why she did it.

Ruby didn't get it.

Ruby did not sleep often—at all. Actually, looking back on all her years until this point, she's probably slept four times. Ruby didn't like it, not just because sleep was supposed to be for tired, organic, non-Gem things to acquire energy, but because of dreams. She hated dreaming. Even her most pleasant one had been such for about three seconds before heading right into the category as bizarre as could be.

What she did to Opal felt like a dream. It happened, she knew, but she couldn't even believe that she did it. Ruby wasn't  _just_  anger.

That was something she was very adamant about. Ruby was not a walking ball of rage. She would be the first to admit that her temper was poor, her energy high, but "mad" was not her one and only personality trait.

Thing was, though, if someone knew her only by what happened with Opal, she wouldn't blame them for thinking it.

It was just...She couldn't get her mind around it. She'd never done anything like that before, would never do it again. She needed answers, but who was she supposed to ask the question to?

"Are you still throwing rocks?"

Ruby jumped about three feet into the air. Steven took a step back, hands raised up defensively. Ruby had never even heard him approach, and if that didn't speak wonders about her mental state, she didn't know what did.

She released a breath, shaky and deep, and asked, "How long have you been there?"

"I asked you if you were still throwing rocks before. You didn't answer, so I left. Then I came back and asked you again. You didn't answer, so I left. Then I came back and asked you again. And you jumped. So now we're here."

Ruby didn't know how to respond to that, so she just threw another rock. She and Steven watched it zip away and disappear, but then she just sighed and crossed her arms.

"I'm done now. How long have I been out here?"

"About six hours."

"Really?"

"It's not as bad as Tuesday. You were out here for thirty-two hours then. Wait, that's more than one day, isn't it? So Tuesday  _and_  Wednesday."

Ruby didn't really answer to that, either. She stared down at the little pile of stones she had left like she was staring at what she'd become, and Steven felt very off-put by it.

(This silence went on for ten minutes. He thought about leaving again.)

"I need something to do," Ruby said suddenly.

"Oh! Good, good!" Steven clapped his hands together. "Do you want to train? Grill? We can do like we used to, and I can make a rock-person for you to destroy. I'll make it look like Jasper, if you want."

"No. I have no energy. I need something very, very simple that still serves an accomplishment."

"Like a puzzle?"

"Not  _that_  simple."

"Well..." Steven tapped a finger against his chin, thinking. The desperation on Ruby's face worried him so badly that he said the first thing that came to his mind. "We don't have any more ice cream left in the fridge, so maybe you could go to the store and get some? So I have some for dessert tonight—"

"Will do! Thank you for the task!"

Ruby took off like a bullet, so quickly she very nearly rolled down the slope. Grass actually rippled in her passing. Steven was left reeling and almost didn't manage to call out what he did.

"I didn't tell you what kind!"

Ruby (quite literally) screeched to a halt and screamed back, "Strawberry with no chunks!"

"Hey! You knew!"

"I care!"

"I believe you!"

"See you at dinner!"

Ruby took off again, and actually  _did_  roll down the hill this time. She didn't seem to mind, so Steven decided she didn't need assistance.

* * *

Ruby had lost count of how many times she'd gone shopping for food at the store. That is, because it was so very rare, so maybe it was twice. Three times. Four, maybe? This might have been the fourth time, actually.

Ruby did not need food. Ruby did not  _love_  food. Steven did, both of those things. Steven was why she was doing this now; Steven was why she did it every time before. But the point remained that Ruby did not go grocery shopping very often at all, maybe once in a blue moon.

This is important to know to explain why she felt so very, very, very, very, very out of her element standing in aisle three.

Ruby did not like the glass doors of the freezers. Ruby did not like all the food items, one after another, all identical and neatly stacked in rows. Ruby did not like the fluorescent lights and the linoleum tiles.

Something screeched, sudden and sharp. Ruby twisted around at once, her gauntlet appearing on her fist out of sheer instinct.

It was a shopping cart. A woman was pushing it, with a baby in the seat. The wheels were squealing along the tiles.

Ruby relaxed at once and murmured a quiet "Calm down, you lunatic" beneath her breath. Her gauntlet went back into her Gem in sheepish red ribbons. She was very thankful no one was around to see.

Then, not so shocking but still sudden, came a constant clack-clack-clacking sound. Ruby's hackles went up in an instant. She managed to keep her gauntlet down by curling her fingers into tight fists, but her eyes flittered left and right, trying to figure out what it was.

It turned out to be one of the workers of the store arranging soup cans in a pyramid. Ruby did not understand. Did the pyramid form contribute to the soup's flavor? Was this like curing meat, and all soup cans had to be stacked into a pyramid for maximum experience? The soup cans on the shelves, had they already been pyramidized?

A man coming to the fridges cut off her thoughts. Ruby watched as he pulled the door open, the hum of the machine growing louder, and looked up and down the milk jugs. He finally settled on one, the last of its row, and pulled it out. Once he was gone, Ruby wondered, with innocent curiosity, if someone needed that particular kind of milk jug and couldn't have it because the man had taken the last one.

Inside the fridge, a hand reached out from the depths and slid a milk jug into the empty row.

Ruby backed away until her back hit a wall of rice boxes.

 _What is this place?!_  she cried in her mind.

Someone rounded the corner so quickly she sent rice boxes scattering to the floor. It was a child, maybe a little older than Steven, and she looked at her wide-eyed for a moment before hurrying away.

Ruby had to remind herself then that this was a grocery store.  _This was a place where humans bought food, that was it._  While she put the boxes back up, she scolded herself over and over.

_What is wrong with you? You've been fighting Homeworld soldiers and Gem monsters for hundreds of years, and you're going to get antsy on an ice cream retrieve?! Pull yourself together!_

Taking a deep breath most definitely helped, and Ruby finally managed to walk up to the freezers. She'd actually forgotten that ice cream had a lot of brands. It didn't make sense to her, why different people needed to make the same thing. But whatever. This was no biggie.

Except it was, because she couldn't find strawberry anywhere. Or, well, she  _could_ , but the only kind had chunks in it.

"Well...This is a fine pickle," she sighed to herself.

On the one hand, Steven could very well just eat this ice cream and pick out the chunks. They were easily avoidable.

On the other hand, her boy didn't settle for second-best.

Now, thankfully, Ruby was not absolutely, 100% clueless when it came to grocery stores. And that wasn't a brag, that was a relief that came to her in her trouble. She knew that the workers in the store were there to help. Their job was to offer assistance when needed, and she thought that was just dandy, and how nice of them!

So, she did what she believed to be the correct procedure: she cupped her hands around her mouth and cried, "I AM IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE! A CUSTOMER IN FRONT OF THE REFRIGERATORS IS IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE! I AM THAT CUSTOMER!"

An uncomfortably long stretch of silence followed. A shopping cart squealed by somewhere. Ruby began to sweat.

Finally, a worker appeared, looking hesitant and a little afraid. He approached Ruby at a very slow pace. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

"You most certainly can."

When she didn't go any further, he asked, "What can I help you with?"

Ruby waved a hand at the fridges. "Do you have any other ice cream besides these?"

The worker pursed his lips in thought. A hand came up and scratched at the stubble on his cheek. "Not in here, but you can check the freezer by the check-out. Maybe we have what you're looking for there?"

"I thank you for your help!" Ruby reached into her Gem for some cash—Steven had suggested a while back that they all start keeping a stash just in case. She figured a fifty was good enough, so she slapped a bill into the worker's palm. "For your work."

The worker let out a "Golly!" as she dashed past him. Thankfully, she knew which direction the check-out was in, so it was just a matter of a second or two charging through unfamiliar aisles of dog food and cleaning supplies. She skidded to a stop once to grab a lightbulb before taking off running again.

The freezer was a bright yellow box with a glass top, placed just in front of the counter. Most of what was inside was popsicles and ice cream sandwiches, but the leftmost bin held the treasure Ruby was seeking. Not a tub, but a strawberry creamsicle. It would do well enough for dinner that evening; then she would just have to search elsewhere tomorrow.

Ruby turned away from the freezer to count the bills, mumbling beneath her breath.

"The ice cream is two dollars eighty-nine cents, and the lightbulb is three sixty-two. So I'm going to need six fifty-one. But I don't have any coins...But if I give them  _seven_  dollars, I can get forty-nine cents back. Wait, but...Ugh, taxes! What even is the point of saying what something costs if it doesn't  _really_  cost that? Maybe I should just give them a ten so they don't have to—Whoa!"

Ruby once again jumped into the air when she turned and saw that someone had come up right up behind her while she counted. She couldn't even tell what they  _could_  have looked like. They were dressed in a dark trench coat and a fedora that completely concealed their face. It was like they were  _trying_  to be the most suspicious-looking person on the planet.

Looking down, Ruby saw that the  _entire freezer_  had been wiped clear. Not a single ice-cream sandwich remained.

And before Ruby could ask why, before she could demand why this stranger needed every single bit of ice cream, they turned and took off running.

The second they went through the automatic doors, a bleeping alarm went off. The cashier jumped in alarm, too late to even get a look at them, and they gave a horrified wail of,  _"The Cream Snatchers!"_

Ruby reacted at once.

She threw the lightbulb at the cashier with a bark of "I intend to purchase that!" and darted after the Cream Snatcher as fast as she could, arms and legs pumping with a freight train's power. The Snatcher jumped into an awaiting van, the tires spitting up smoke before the door was even closed.

Not that Ruby was deterred, of course. She didn't so much as stop, even as the van took off down the road. The thing was easily going fifty-five in a forty-five zone. A problem for a human, not for a Ruby.

The van spat out black smoke from its exhaust, left gray streaks on the asphalt of the road, but Ruby kept going. She ran, and she ran, and she ran, and each second brought her just slightly closer. When she got close enough, she could grab hold and take it from there. Infiltrate the thing through the windows, take out the tires, something.

A turn was coming up ahead, and the currently-out-of-place-but-still-lawfully-appreciated red blinking of the van's turn signal brought a smile to Ruby's face.

 _Alright,_  she thought to herself,  _this is the perfect opening! When it turns, all you have to do is cut it off. Steven will have his deserved ice cream in no time!_

In Ruby's mind, everything seemed to slow down, as per the norm when she was so hyper-focused. The van began to veer left. The rubber squealed, the air went bitter. Ruby cut forward without a pause.

Then it was just a leap forward. Ruby sprung up into the air with her hands reaching out for the van's windshield. She could see the figures behind the glass, their angry eyes and upturned noses. They knew she was coming. They knew this was it.

Ruby finally hit glass.

Just not the one she thought she was going to.

* * *

Doug Maheswaran's pen flitted across the paper in a quick but somehow still lazy manner. His face lacked any alertness that a seasoned official's usually would, instead holding an exhaustion and slight annoyance in his features and creases.

"And then this happened," he concluded at last. His pen punctuated a period.

Ruby waved a hand at the spider web mess of shattered glass that was once the windshield of Doug's cruiser. "And then this happened."

As it turned out, when someone steals something from any store (grocery or otherwise), the police are alerted immediately—a protocol that was very efficient but Ruby wished she had known before she chased after the Cream Snatchers. Not that she wouldn't have done it, she could have just been more wary of her surroundings.

As it was, while Ruby began her pursuit, Doug Maheswaran was quite close by, looking into a dispute between two neighbors regarding who owned the garden gnome with the yellow hat. Now, the Cream Snatchers had been the bane of Doug's existence for some time at this point, so when the radio buzzed of yet another theft, he responded at once.

It just so happened that right when Ruby leapt for the escape van, Doug was trying to intercept it.

So Ruby ended up on the cruiser's windshield. Very much like a bug.

Ruby looked over at the cruiser once again—paused to take a shard of glass still stuck in her hair—and asked, "Am I going to have to pay for that?"

"No, that was my fault. Speaking of which—" Doug shielded his mouth with the back of his hand and asked, "—do you want to sue me?"

"What does 'sue' mean?"

"Appreciated. Now—what can you tell me?"

"About what?"

Doug readjusted his glasses and bit back a sigh. He took a seat beside Ruby, perched on a log that had been pulled off the road. He didn't seem to mind how mossy and damp it was as he opened up his notepad again.

"The Cream Snatchers." His pen clicked once again, the twentieth time by Ruby's count. "What did they look like, sound like, smell like?"

"Oh. Uh...I only really saw the one in the store. They had a big trench coat and a fedora. Real stereotypical-looking."

"That matches up with what we have. The trench coat was black, right?"

"Yeah. Same as the hat. Eyes were real seedy, in my opinion."

"I've seen them and I agree." Doug heaved out a sigh at last and clicked the pen with finality. The notepad he tucked back into his bomber jacket, while he stretched out his neck enough for it to crackle. "Oh, boy...I can't believe these guys are still plaguing me."

Ruby's brows furrowed over her eyes. "'Still'?"

"This has been going on for  _months_! First it was this store, then that store...They even got the Big Donut! They've hit Ocean Town several times. But they keep slipping through our fingers like water leaking through a decrepit roof!"

"Why do they keep getting away?"

Doug grabbed a rock by his shoe and tossed it. It skittered across the freshly-stained asphalt before disappearing into the shrubs on the other side of the road. It was a very lazy venting of frustration.

"Because we can't identify them," Doug growled. "It's the strangest thing! No one at the targeted spots remembers a trench-coat-wearing thief coming  _in_ , just going  _out_. That motion made by Mayor Dewey means we have no security footage! We have no idea what they look like, and they drive so recklessly we can't even try chasing them out of fear of civilian casualty!"

"But you were chasing them before?"

" _You_  are a civilian casualty."

"Oh."

"On top of  _that_ , they use a different vehicle very time. No license plate! Ugh..." Doug ran a hand down his face. "This is the only regular crime that gets committed in this area, but the chief still won't knock up its importance. 'It's just ice cream, Doug! They're not breaking and entering, Doug! It's not technically a robbery, Doug!' Can he not see that this is only the beginning?!"

"I...am so sorry for your situation."

Ruby tried to give him a comforting pat on the back and instead gave him a very awkward tap between the shoulders. Still, Doug's next sigh was much more stress-relief-y. He seemed less weighed down when he stood back up to his feet.

"I'll have to make a report about this," he said, "but first I need to go to that store and see what I can get out of the witnesses."

"What should I do?"

"You can go home. Thank you for your help and sorry for the glass."

Ruby did not really respond to this, however. Because—okay, getting hit by a cruiser wasn't exactly  _fun_ , but it had been  _something_. It had prolonged her ice cream venture very much, a few more minutes of not having to do exactly that: go home.

She didn't really want to return and explain to Steven (who was going to be understanding of the situation, really) that she was unable to get what he asked for. But more so than that, she didn't want to go home at all.

Ruby understood why Sapphire was gone so much these days. Getting out of their home was like getting out of a boiling pot of water. Even  _Steven_  was getting into the habit of being in his Room less and less. Plus, this was something much more her speed—not fetching some ice cream from the store, but hunting down a problem and taking care of it.

Thus, the next words that came out of her mouth were, "How can I help?"

Doug frowned at this. "Your testimony has helped enough."

"No, I mean...What can I do to help you find them? Where can I search? These are criminals on our streets, we need to stop them!"

"Your desire to incite justice is admirable. But there really isn't much that you can do."

"Are you sure about that?" Ruby stood up from the log and walked over to him. Now, if she was taller, she would have put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. As it was, she instead settled for his knee. "Remember, Mister Maheswaran. I have been in this business for  _years_. Tracking down and taking care of monsters is my job!"

Doug's eyebrows went up at this, impressed. "That's true. You're much like a bounty hunter, aren't you?"

"Exactly," Ruby declared with a smile, even though she had no idea what that was.

Doug pondered hard on this for a moment. Two seconds, to be exact. Then he was smiling, too, and stuck out his hand to the red Gem. Ruby shook it with relief at the coming adventure and gratitude that this was a gesture she was familiar with.

"You are a figure to admire, Miss Ruby. Now, to begin: everything I've told you is public knowledge. It's actually our  _only_  knowledge. As it is, we only have  _one_  person with a witness account that may change the game. So here's what we're going to do."

Doug tore out a page from his notepad and scribbled something down very quickly. Ruby thought it was chicken scratch at first, but realized that it was an address. Doug just had very terrible handwriting.

"I'm going to go get that report," Doug told her. "And get a new cruiser. Meet me at this address in approximately thirty minutes."

* * *

Ruby did as she was asked—Doug seemed quite confused that she had no vehicle and had walked the way to the store and was going to walk it back, but she was strong in her confidence—and walked by the street signs and numbers one by one. Trees gave way to familiar houses, the salt air growing stronger and stronger.

Ruby found that she was so immersed in her new task that she only thought about That Thing when she thought about how she wasn't thinking about That Thing.

It was a bittersweet loophole.

So as it was, she finally reached her destination, and looked up from Doug's horribly-written address with a smile on her face.

The smile gave way to open-mouthed shock when she saw that it was none other than It's a Wash.

It wasn't that Ruby was surprised she didn't recognize the address. For one thing, addresses were yet another uniquely human experience, albeit one that made a bit more sense than others. For another thing, she'd never had any  _reason_  to know the address of It's a Wash. She'd certainly never had to send something there, it was a hop, skip, and a jump away from Steven's Room.

No, Ruby was surprised that it took her up until that very moment to realize what her destination was. Again, it did not sing praises for her mental state.

Greg was outside the building, staring up at the neon sign she had helped him with a very, very long time ago (or so it felt.) The first A was starting to give out. Once night fell, it would simply be It's Wash. Not nearly as iconic, in his opinion.

Ruby approached because she didn't really know what else she was supposed to do, and Greg saw her with wide eyes. The two of them had not really hung out since that ordeal in the van, when they were taking Connie home through the relentless snow.

Actually, they hadn't hung out in more than ten years. But Ruby liked to think those ten-plus of bitterness on her part was a different era from the more recent months. Though she and Greg had very little (maybe ten minutes total) one-on-one time, she did take relief in the new but familiar easiness that had settled between them.

Of course, Ruby's mind liked to twist things around, so as soon as she thought 'Greg's waving at me and I'm waving back, and that's good and we're friends', it was immediately followed by 'You and Greg stopped being friends for years because you couldn't get your emotions in control and it took almost getting him, Steven, and Connie killed and actually hurting Steven for you to get it—'

Greg's voice cut off her own thoughts. "Hey! Long time, no see. What's going on?"

Ruby tried to shake off the jitters that threatened to take over her body. She tried to be as casual as possible. She really wasn't good at that, though, so she doubted it was any good.

"Hey! I, uh...Well. I'll explain it to you in a minute. We just have to...chill here for a bit." She snorted. "I mean,  _you_  can. Chill, I mean. I can't. I'm just the  _worst_  at chilling. Remember that thing with the net? The ball? I—I burned stuff. Because I'm bad at it. Chilling, I mean."

Exhibit A.

Greg couldn't help but note the very nearly nausea-inducing awkwardness of that delivery, but he made no comment on it. He simply shrugged it off with an "Alright. Make yourself comfortable."

Ruby knew that wasn't going to happen, but she tried to oblige. She walked to the front wall of the building and flipped a water bucket over for a seat. Greg retreated inside for a minute and returned with his guitar in hand.

Ruby quite liked listening to Greg's "lax music"—when he didn't have a song in mind, and simply played aimless but still very pretty notes. It might actually get her to relax a bit. But as she leaned back to listen, he instead held the neck of it out to her.

"You still remember what I taught you, right?" he asked. He was smirking.

Ruby let out an actual, real chuckle as she took it from him. It had been years, but she still remembered the feeling of the almost-too-big instrument in her lap, the strings beneath her fingertips. Greg took a bucket-seat beside her.

"Remember when I basically stole this from you?" she asked.

Greg snorted. "Right. More like 'I forgot the most crucial aspect of my career and almost drove to a new city without it.' At least  _you_  wanted to get it back to me."

Ruby chuckled and strummed a few strings. "Maybe I should have kept it, huh? You never became a superstar, but maybe I could've—Oh no. Oh, this turned out so much meaner than I thought it would. I'm so sorry. Oh no."

Greg, to her eternal relief, just shook his head and waved her off, smiling all the while. "It's good, it's good. Hey, I hold onto what I said back then. A red alien rock from outer space called 'Ruby' would have been a  _hit_."

They both laughed at that, and that was really it. Ruby ended up giving the lax music, and Greg was the one to lean his head back and listen to the sweet notes that came from her fingertips. The sky was a gradient, blue at one end and gray in another. The storm clouds had persisted, and she knew the rain would come soon. Still, this scene actually gave her relief for the first time that day. Playing a guitar, looking over this little empty car lot, waiting for rain to come...

Ruby was actually grateful that Greg wasn't prying into anything. He knew, she knew. Surely Steven had explained everything to him by now. But still, he wasn't trying to pry her open. He wasn't trying to get her to vent out, and it was weird, but not venting was a peculiarly good vent. Ruby was glad to have him as a friend again.

"So, do you want to talk about it?"

 _Nevermind_.

Ruby plucked a wrong chord and tried to save it. "About what?"

"Ruby. Come on."

"Well, I just can't think of anything I particularly want to talk about, so I'm coming up short. I'm sorry."

Greg frowned at her clipped tone, but he relented. He leaned back against the brick wall once again. "Alright. Just making sure."

At that moment, a car came much too quickly into the lot. It hit the brake so hard the whole thing was slung forward before settling back. It was a simple car, dark blue and tinted windows, though Ruby guessed by Greg's furrowed brow that tinted windows were not a common sight in Beach City.

The door swung open, and it was (of course) Doug who stepped out of the vehicle. He looked a little less dressy now, having ditched the bomber and tie he'd been wearing before. But if he was trying to look casual, he was failing. The way his eyes and head darted left and right and left again was very birdlike.

Greg stood to his feet at once. He tugged the wrinkles out of his shirt, as if his T-shirt would look more professional so long as it was straight. "Mister Maheswaran! I wasn't expecting you. Obviously."

"Rest easy, Mister Universe. It's no emergency. I just need to ask you some questions."

"Oh no." All color drained from Greg's face. Ruby was both concerned and impressed at how chalky-white he had become. "Is this about the rich guy that came by the other day? Did I take illegal money? Was it laundered? Stolen? Listen, he offered me three hundred for a car wash, I know that's weird, but I didn't think anything about it and I only took two-and-ninety because of the wait and—"

"Did this man  _seem_  suspicious?"

"No, just rich...?"

"Then no, I don't need to ask you anything about that." No sooner had Greg let out a gust of relief than did Doug put a hand on Greg's right shoulder and Ruby's left. Of course, the height difference left him standing in a half-squat. "With the three of us together—wisdom, strength, and prowess combined—I believe we may just be able to catch the Cream Snatchers yet."

"The Cream Snatchers?" Greg shook his head. "You said—"

"I know I said we had them, Mister Universe," Doug snapped. "I was wrong, it was just a poor old woman! The Chief was mildly furious with me for a week!"

"Mildly?"

"She really  _did_  steal a lemon pop. So still a criminal, just not the one I accused her to be. But that's neither here nor there—what matters now is that your red friend here has offered her services to further this investigation! Now, we need you to give your eye-witness account once again."

Greg sucked in and let loose a breath of air. Contributing to an unofficial investigation was not planned for the evening, but then again, nothing was. Besides, with Ruby's help, he figured something might just come from it this time around. Ruby, meanwhile, was only then remembering how Greg was involved at all. That was the whole reason why he'd met Doug in the first place, wasn't it?

"Alright," Greg said.

"Before you do," cut in Doug, "we need to set up my board. I have everything in the car."

* * *

The board was very much like what came to mind when Greg thought of crime shows and whatnot. A bulletin board, covered all over with newspaper clippings, photographs, and sticky notes with little scribbles. A spider web of red yarn connected everything together. Two maps of Beach City and Ocean Town made up the background.

Ruby and Doug both studied the board with a fire's intensity. Greg was on the other side of the room, sitting in one of the few chairs he had in the building. Neither the officer nor the Gem looked at him as he gave his account.

"So I tried to get a good look at 'em, but they were too fast. But what I  _do_  remember was that they were wearing a ring. It had a cupcake on it. But that was really the only thing. I tried to chase after them, but I'm...me. So it didn't work."

Ruby waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, she asked a very disbelieving, "That's all that's different? A ring?"

"Jewelry can be the key in finding culprits," retorted Doug. He'd been scribbling on another sticky note, and pasted it up on the board. It was a very quick doodle of the cupcake ring, and he very unnecessarily connected it with 'SUSPECT' by red yarn. "We don't know exactly what it looks like, of course, but it's unique from other testimonies. If only we could figure out if it means something, if it's connected to a group or a gang..."

"I think I know," said Ruby.

Doug's head snaked back. "What?"

Ruby looked at the scribbled cupcake ring once again. Something about it was tickling a memory in her mind. The words were just at the tip of her tongue, and at last she spat them out.

_"The Sweet Treats!"_

Doug's pen clicked at once, and he held it up to the board very much like a tiger preparing to pounce on prey. Fire blazed behind the lens of his glasses. "So this ring is a symbol of a mafia gang known as the Sweet Treats? Or is Sweet Treats the brand that made this ring? What do you mean to imply, Miss Ruby?!"

"It's a cartoon."

"Unexpected. Continue."

" _The Sweet Treats_  is a cartoon. It's about a bunch of kids who become superheroes by rings that give them the powers of desserts. So Trevor turns into Turtlecluster, Maria turns into Cookiecutter, and Candy turns into Cupquake, so on, so forth."

Greg hummed, "Does Steven watch that?"

"Actually, he hates it."

"Oh. Guess that makes sense. His favorite show is  _Crying Breakfast Friends_ , and I guess this is the opposite, so..."

"He said it was actually because the characterization was inconsistent and there were too many moments where he got frustrated because they kept doing things they wouldn't do for drama. Like, Maria is supposed to be super sweet—no pun intended—but she sabotages a classmate's science project and that doesn't really add up—"

 _"Ahem."_  Doug's gaze shifted between the two of them, unamused. "Regardless, I assume this cartoon gave out rings as merchandise?"

"Yep." Ruby very nearly left it at that, but then something took a hold of her. A fire ignited in her chest, with a heat so familiar but had been gone for so long that it felt almost new. It had been months since she'd felt this reinvigoration, and she latched onto it at once, let it consume her. So she kept going, letting the words spill out from her mind with no filter, all while Doug and Greg watched and listened. "And since it's from a cartoon, it's targeted towards children, and the rings would be made with the size of a child's finger in mind. Meaning that at least one of the Cream Snatchers is a child!"

Doug snapped his fingers together. "Or they have very small fingers!"

"That, too!"

"What say you, Mister Universe?"

Greg had taken opportunity of the silence to pull a drink from the cooler by the door. Doug turned to him just as it cracked open. "Oh, uh...Yeah, I guess. I hadn't really noticed how big there hands were."

Doug slapped on another sticky note, 'CHILD? SMALL FINGERS?', onto the suspect's paper. He and Ruby once again took a step back and put on identical fingers-on-chins poses while they looked over everything in their mind. Greg took a loud sip.

"If it  _is_  a child," he called from the back, "Doesn't that mean they're breaking the law by driving underage?"

A sticky note was slapped down hard enough to make Greg jump. 'DRIVING WHILE CHILD'.

And here it came again, another stoke to the flames, another surge of energy. Ruby's mind was working like a well-oiled machine, thinking and thinking...For some reason, 'breaking the law' was echoing in her head, louder and louder, until it honestly felt as though her own mind was yelling at her to figure it out.

And she did at last, with a finger pointed to the ceiling and a cry that reverberated off the walls.

"I know who our first suspect is!"

* * *

Onion added one last clump of damp sand to the anthill-shaped mound before him. He had been shaping it meticulously for quite some time, but at long last, after a few more dusting-offs and pickings, he seemed satisfied. His attention then went to the little kit beside him, consisting of baking soda, vinegar, and a few miscellaneous items.

Far away, Ruby, Doug, and a bit-confused-as-to-why-he-was-still-there-how-did-he-get-roped-into-this Greg watched the young boy almost unblinkingly. It had taken Doug a minute or so to realize that Onion was their target; he'd been assuming Ruby meant someone he would see walking down the boardwalk or something or other.

"Onion?" he whispered to her, shaking his head. "Onion offered services to try and  _find_  the Cream Snatchers, however possibly illegal they were. There's no way he's one of them."

Ruby crouched down, and Greg and Doug followed. Now, being the beach, there weren't many places to use for good cover. So Ruby had dug them a pit in about fifteen seconds flat for them to all huddle in. As it was, they were all very much shoulder-to-shoulder.

"You can't tell me that kid isn't the most suspicious person in this city," Ruby countered back.

Doug chewed on the inside of his cheek. "The young man's relationship with the law is strenuous and unbalanced. His age and smooth talk is the only reason he hasn't served any sentences as of yet. But I think he's actually clear on this one."

Greg piped in. "Plus, I don't think I've ever seen him eat. Anything. Ever."

Ruby cast a quick peek to the boy. Whatever he had put in his little volcano (it was at least two glow-sticks and some hydrogen peroxide) had spurted up a colorful but strangely smoking substance. He was watching it and taking notes, a scientist documenting his findings.

"Fine," Ruby said. "Maybe he isn't involved  _directly_. But think about it. More than one crime-child in this area? I refuse to believe the two of them have never crossed paths before."

Doug—with great difficulty, as he had to pull his hand from behind both him and Greg—put a finger to his stubbly chin. "That  _is_  true. But surely it's not some sort of partnership, otherwise he wouldn't be trying to sell them out."

Ruby hummed. "Maybe a partnership gone sour? I know these kind of people, Doug. They get  _real_  territorial real fast. Back me up here, Greg."

Greg was unable to do so. The poor man's face had lost color again, accompanied by the pronounced bob of his Adam's apple. He was staring upwards, wide-eyed, and Doug and Ruby followed his gaze.

Onion, who else? He had crept over to them, silent as the wind, in the midst of their conversation. Something about the kid, questionable acts or not, had always put Ruby off. She realized as she stared up at him now that it was how his face never shifted from being wide-eyed but neutral.

"Ah." Doug cleared his throat and readjusted the tie that he wasn't wearing. "Hello, Mister Onion. Pleasure to see you again."

Onion held out a hand cordially enough. Doug took it willingly, but gave a yelp of surprise when the child hauled him all the way up to his feet. Greg and Ruby scrambled up after them. Some ways down the sand, the makeshift sand volcano had become a heap of neon ash.

Onion crossed his arms at them, but still didn't drop his neutral frown and wide eyes. Ruby wondered how on Earth it was that this human was less human than she was.

Greg cleared his throat first, but immediately regretted it when Onion turned to him. "Uh, we, erm...We need to ask you a few questions. Or, well, they do. I don't. I don't really need to be here." He started to step backwards, never taking his eyes off Onion. "I think I'll just go ahead and get out of your hair."

"Greg." Ruby snapped her fingers. "Stand your ground."

While Greg returned to his place with a mumbled "yes, ma'am", Doug went to one knee so that he was leveled with the child. Once again came the notepad and a pen, and something flashed in Onion's eyes even though nothing really changed on him. That was either a sign of guilt or a warning of danger. Ruby thought that maybe she would have to intervene so the officer wouldn't get hurt when the child attacked.

"I shall be frank with you, Mister Onion," Doug said in a stern but very careful voice. "You know what this is about. Just tell us the truth." He pulled the folded-up sticky note from his pants pocket and held it before Onion's eyes. Doug might not have been an artist, but the cupcake ring was clear as day. "Does this look familiar to you? Yes or no?"

Onion blinked at the image for several seconds before crossing his arms once again and averting his gaze. There was nothing sheepish about it, just set.

Doug heaved out a sigh for maybe the millionth time that day. "I'm going to tell you what I tell a lot of people in your position. If you haven't done anything, you have no reason to keep anything from us."

Onion side-eyed him.

So Doug corrected himself. "If you haven't done anything  _with_  the Cream Snatchers specifically, you have no reason to keep anything from us."

Onion did not seem one to crack so easily, however. So before Doug had to resort to other means, Ruby took some initiative and chimed in. "You want these guys out of here, too. That's why you made that trap."

Greg dropped his fear for just a moment to snap, "That trap almost got Steven—"

"Greg."

"Right. Sorry."

"All you have to do is tell us what you can," Ruby went on. "You don't even have to break a sweat. Just leave it all to us."

Onion at last seemed to give in, but not without composure. He stopped crossing his arms so that he could instead reach into his back pocket. Ruby and Doug both braced on instinct, one going in a defensive stance, the other preparing to summon a gauntlet. Greg prepared to just bolt it straight out of the state of Delmarva.

However, what Onion drew out was something harmless but very telling: a ring, with a plastic Gem that only looked like a chocolate turtle because they all knew what it was supposed to be.

Doug's eyebrows shot up his forehead, more vilified than surprised. "So you ARE involved!"

Onion's eyes had a light of hurt in them, and he crossed his arms once again, and Ruby and Greg couldn't help but think for just a second that just talking about it was putting him through some kind of emotional pain.

Onion opened his mouth, then caught himself. He must have recalled that none of them really spoke the mystery language of his family, so he instead bent down to the sand. The others followed suit, all huddled around and watching as he began to doodle with. Mr. Fryman was walking past them on the boardwalk, and paused for just a moment to watch before continuing on his way, marking it off as just another Beach City regular anomaly.

Onion's finger created little shapes in the sand. First it was a little lump with a tuft of hair, which the makeshift investigation team took to be him. Then it was three other faces, all the same, frowning and having V-shaped eyes in the universal symbol of "bad guys". Onion then drew, with contained fury, a deep slash between him and what had to be the Cream Snatchers.

"There's three of them," Ruby whispered through the corner of her mouth.

Doug had been scribbling in his notepad like a madman, so fast that smoke was about to start streaming up from his pencil. Greg was just watching everything as the bystander he was.

"So," Doug said more to himself than Onion, "what happened to divide you four? What are their names? Where are they now?"

Onion zipped up his mouth and tossed the invisible zipper to the sand. At the furrowed brows that answered him, he held up his turtle ring once more. Doug looked very much like he was tempted to start pulling at his hair, or pull the offending piece of jewelry right off the boy's finger.

"I'm confused," Greg groaned. He leaned around Doug to tell Ruby, "I am  _so_  confused. What's going on? I don't speak picture."

Ruby took initiative and actually  _was_  pulling at her hair. A clump of her thick hair was being pinched between her fingers. "Onion can't give any identifying information about the Cream Snatchers because their former alliance had a requirement that they would never do so to anyone involved with law enforcement."

"How could you tell?"

"You have no idea how old I am, Greg."

"That's...true."

Doug fixed his eyes, steely, on Onion. The boy didn't so much as flinch away, but he did look more annoyed than anything else at the moment.

"Can you give us anything?" Doug all but pleaded. "Anything that we can go on? Even a  _hint_?"

Onion zipped his lips a second time.

Before Doug could "blow a gasket", whatever that meant, Ruby stepped forward. She tried to keep her voice as approachable as possible. "Okay. We understand you can't rat them out.  _But_ , if you tell us where you last  _saw_  them, that wouldn't count, right? That doesn't give anything away. They won't even be able to prove it was you who told us."

Onion's eyes raised up at this. Ruby felt a swell of pride at his impressed look, then quickly smothered that swell because this was a menace to society and could not be trusted, let alone sought for approval. Onion cast a look over either shoulder as if someone could be watching—now, admittedly, someone  _was_ , because Kofi Pizza had stopped in his walk to see what was happening. A quick glare had him scurrying to get away from the youngest of Yellowtail's children as quickly as he could.

Onion's finger at long last finally wrote out a word, clear as day: GREENGRICH.

It appeared in Doug's notepad in a flash, though admittedly it looked more like 'GKOONGKIOll'. "Is that a secret hub? A store spot in town? Is this one of those things where only locals call it by this name, thus confusing the police as to where it actually is and thus leading to people being hurt because they could not come to the correct location in time?"

"Doug," Ruby cut in with a hand on his shoulder, squeezing. "He's gone."

And so Onion was, leaving nothing behind him but the letters in the sand and a sense of dread. Greg was the only one who seemed to notice that there weren't even footprints left, and goosebumps covered every inch of his skin. Much like every other encounter with the eerie child, Greg considered, for just a moment, moving him and Steven out of town.

Doug managed to bite back this heave of air. He and Ruby both leaned over 'GREENGRICH' as if expecting it to change into something clearer. Greg had not been paying much attention to it until then, but once he actually read the word, he felt his brows shoot up before he could help it.

"Greengrich," he repeated. The tone of his voice so clearly stated that he was familiar with it that Ruby and Doug whipped around to him in an instant. The low grunt from Doug's throat said that the quick movement had given him whiplash, but he made no issue out of it.

"How are you familiar, Mister Universe?" One of Doug's hands grabbed a fistful of Greg's T-shirt, and if he had meant to pull him any closer, neither Ruby nor Greg could honestly tell. "Are you involved? Is this an organization of which you were once affiliated?"

Greg was blunt. "Are you okay?"

"No." Doug retreated back with sheepishness and shame. He folded his hands in his lap and took a deep breath. "Sorry. Please, tell us what you know."

Greg put a calming hand on the officer's shoulder before answering. "Greengrich is the name of a junkyard between here and Ocean Town. I've gotten a couple of parts for the van from there before."

Ruby hummed. "I thought you bought all your parts online?"

"By 'a couple of parts', I mean hubcaps. Just hubcaps. I don't trust anything else from that place.  _The rats talk there."_

Doug sprung up to his feet at lightning speed. The break was exhilarating him so much his chest was pumping in and out at an engine's pace. Ruby honestly thought that even she had never felt so much energy as the officer was feeling in that moment.

"This is a lead!" Doug laughed the high, loud laugh of a man saved from drowning. Greg gave him a congratulatory pat on the leg. "A  _lead_! I can feel it in my fingertips! These kids are going into the slammer for sure!"

"The slammer?" asked Greg.

"Correctional facility; same thing. On your feet, both of you! We have to seize this moment!"

"Uh..." Greg looked upwards. The storm clouds had finally rolled in, and though the rain had not yet begun to fall, the sky was slate gray as far as he could see. Thunder grumbled distantly overhead. "Look, I'd really like to help, but I'm pretty sure I'm not contributing at all, I'm probably just going to be deadweight, and to be honest there's a new episode of  _Ron and Helen Conquer the Universe_  coming on tonight and I was kind of hoping I could catch it—"

Doug clapped a hand on Greg's shoulder and pulled him in. He didn't seem to notice that Greg whimpered at the pain that throbbed through his entire right arm. "Nonsense, Mister Universe! You have a vital role in this investigation!"

"What about  _Ron and_ —"

"Re-runs are a thing, Mister Universe. Please get your priorities straight."

* * *

Whether or not Greg "got his priorities straight" was arguable, but ten minutes later saw him sitting in the driver's seat of his van, with Doug in the passenger's and Ruby in the back. Rain had finally begun to pour, so what could have been silence was instead the constant thrum of droplets hitting the windshield.

Greg turned his blinker on for a left turn while groaning, "I still don't see what my 'vital role' is."

"You're our living cover," Doug replied without looking at him. He had been flipping through his notes before they had even left. That included having his board propped up on his lap despite the fact that it was about three inches from his nose and almost prohibiting Greg from accessing the gearshift. "If the Cream Snatchers or their accomplices see us, I'll be recognized at once from our previous encounters. Miss Ruby is a known public figure.  _You_  are a local whose presence may convince them that this is a simple venture and not an investigation. Hence why we are also in  _your_  car."

"You said we needed to take the van because yours was almost out of gas."

"That is also true. You're speeding, Mister Universe. Please don't make me give you a ticket."

In the back, Ruby wandered around the short space. It was certainly cleaner than the last time she'd seen it. Not absolutely pristine, but it was clear that Greg had put effort into making sure everything was organize and neat. His clothes were folded and tucked away, his sheets and pillow away in the corner. Nothing had collected visible dust, there was no garbage.

His pajamas were at the top of his clothes' box. The red and purple 'MISTER OF THE UNIVERSE' letters peeked out at Ruby, and with a small smile at her face, she pulled it out and unfolded it. It made her feel...happy, she guessed, that Greg still had it and was still using it. Back when things were still cold between the two of them, she had thought about the shirt once or twice and was sure that he had tossed it. Knowing that it was quite the opposite gave her some relief.

As she looked at it now, some part of her itched to open the cooler in the corner to see if that ice pack was still there, or to dig further in this box to see if that rag with the sewn flower was folded up inside. And then, for just a moment, she had the urge to dig through his box of CDs and find that old photograph...and remembered that there was no more photograph, because in her rage, she had caused it to burst into flames, never to come back. That happiness slowly but surely faded away into something bitter.

For the second...Okay, hundredth time that day, she felt guilt eating her from the inside out, painful and all-consuming. And with that guilt came the disgust directed at no one but herself. She was guilty for being guilty, angry for being sad. The half of her mind that was wallowing at self-pity was at war with the half that was furious with her for wallowing in self-pity.

 _Why do YOU get to be upset?_ she asked herself as she tried to fold the T-shirt back again with trembling hands.  _Why do YOU get to be the one who's sad at how things are? This was your fault. THIS and THAT and EVERYTHING ELSE was your fault, you don't_   _ **get**_   _to be all 'oh, woe is me!' Pull yourself together._

Greg, of course, was unaware with the turmoil raging inside his friend, so he didn't consider that he was interrupting anything when he declared, "We're here!"

The van pulled into the lot of Greengrich, and Ruby immediately understood why Greg was hesitant to regularly return to this place. Given, junkyards weren't really supposed to be paradises, but this place was extra junk-y. The lot had no concrete, just exposed dirt, and the rain gave her the idea that the entire place was going to be a lake of mud in only a matter of time. The puddles weren't even clear, they were honestly a bit too purplish to be pure water. They would have to be careful when they exited the vehicle.

Those were just mild inconveniences, of course, compared to literally everything else about the place. The junk—scraps of metal, frames crushed every which way, heaps of stuff so mangled that it was impossible to tell what they used to be—had no organization at all. It was pure, horrific chaos. They were surrounded by mountains everywhere they turned. At one point, it seemed to stack four stories tall, peaked by what seemed to bizarrely be an old helicopter.

Doug was the first to step out, pulling up his jacket to shield himself from the downpour. Greg followed, and Ruby scrambled out through his door. The three of them dashed for the small building in the midst of all the horrifying chaos of the place, a sort of ramshackle thing with walls made of tin sheets and nets of wire in places that honestly didn't need it. The door was wooden and had no handle, and as he pushed it open, Doug noted under his breath that he was definitely going to need to put this place down for a visit by several health and safety organizations.

The inside of the building was only minimally better than the rest. It at least had an actual floor, although it was concrete and had many water stains. The walls were still made of tin, the roof honestly did not look very sturdy at all. Perhaps most confusing and most concerning was that the place seemed to double as a sort of pit stop. Which honestly wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't selling tanks of homemade gasoline next to the snack foods.

The place put Ruby on edge and Greg in much discomfort, and they tailed closely behind Doug as he went to the counter. There was a bell there, but when Doug pressed a hand down on it, it sounded more like a car horn than, well, a bell. Doug frowned at it, but still called, "Hello? Is there anyone here that I can speak to?"

A person came at once from the back of the building—"the back" being one small room with no door leading into it. Ruby didn't mean to assume things or make stereotypes, but the man who emerged did not at all match the place. He was wearing a three-piece suit and had his hair neatly slicked back from his face. He even had a nametag labelling him as 'R. GREENGRICH.' She wasn't the only one to feel that the man didn't exactly add up with the place, apparently, as a sideways glance at Greg had him looking right back at her with a high shrug.

"Richard Greengrich," the man introduced himself with much professionalism. "How can I help you today?"

Doug reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his badge. "Officer Doug Maheswaran. Are you the owner of this establishment?"

"Yes, I am! It's a family business that I had no interest in inheriting but was forced upon me regardless. What can I help you with today, Officer?"

And here came the notepad once again. "I need to know if there is anyone who frequents this junkyard and has gotten several cars from here. Most likely, they are children."

"Anyone under the age of thirty is not allowed on the premises, so I'm afraid I'm not so sure about that. That being said, could you kindly escort your small red child out?"

Ruby rounded on Richard Greengrich with eyes narrowed down to slits. "I am so, so,  _so_  much older than you."

Doug held up a hand before anything could escalate. "She's with me. Now, disregard what I said about children. It is possible that a relative provided vehicles for the people we have in mind. Do you have a registry of everyone who has taken a car from this yard?"

"As a matter of fact, I do! Please follow me. May I interest you in some of our home-brewed gasoline?"

"Yes, you can, because I am certain that that breaks many, many regulations."

"We have a patent. Don't worry, Officer. This is perhaps the millionth time I have been asked about this."

So Doug followed Richard Greengrich to the one back room of the building, and Ruby and Greg were left alone. Ruby wandered over to the little items for sale. One was a little bear figurine made of metal scraps, which she thought was just fantastic. There were vials of liquid labeled "Unknown Car Fluids - $3' in neat little rows, which Ruby thought was maybe just a bit more concerning. Other than that, it was just snacks in racks, but they were all knock-off brands with terrible names. Ruby couldn't stand to look at them anymore after seeing a bag of Chaaaaps being called Potato-Flavored Potato Chips.

Greg walked over to join her and began to rifle through a small rack of T-shirts. Most of them seemed to be novelty, saying things like "I Survived Route 23" and the like. He pulled one off and held it out to Ruby with a chuckle. "What do you think? I think I could pull it off."

The T-shirt was neon green and said, in very bright, thick neon orange letters: "I AM SHY SO MY SHIRT HAS TO BE LOUD FOR ME." Ruby couldn't help but laugh, if only because she thought it was cute. "Oh, absolutely."

"In all seriousness, I like it." Greg flipped it around. "I might actually buy it if we have...time...There's a rusty stain on the back. I don't know what it is. I am going to put this back on the rack now."

Ruby tried to distract herself with the other little knick-knacks. Keychains made from chain links, little bubblehead figurines that honestly looked a little too real to be funny. None of them did any good, however, as those Terrible Awful Feelings came crawling back up her spine and rooted themselves deep in her head. She tried very hard to force it down, but before she could even stop herself, she was speaking.

"Hey, Greg?"

"Yeah?" he asked. He was looking at a new T-shirt now, this one having a little trail of a cat's paw prints going from one shoulder to the hip, with little letters reading "My lizard did this."

"I, uh...I'm sorry. For everything that happened."

Greg frowned and slowly hung the shirt back up. He took one step closer, then one step back. Ruby was always a little unpredictable when she was upset; it wasn't that he was worried for his safety, but he wondered if she would snap if he crossed over one too many lines.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "You mean the stuff with Homeworld? That's not your fault; you're trying to protect the planet—"

"No. I mean with  _us_. All that time I spent being mad at you for...Just being around. It was really stupid of me, and I made you feel bad just because _I_  was feeling bad and I'm...I'm really, really sorry. I am."

Greg did not say anything for an uncomfortably long stretch of silence. Rain continued to pelt down, providing white noise to the background of it all. Ruby was aware that he was still watching her, but she kept her eyes pinned on postcards from places that were literally everywhere else but the junkyard.

"I know," Greg said with more confusion in his voice than comfort. He shifted on his feet, still unsure of how to move. Ruby wasn't even facing him. "I mean...We talked about this, didn't we? It's fine."

"We didn't. I just apologized for that one time, when we were taking Connie home. I didn't say I was sorry for literally everything else."

"Well...It's okay. I'm not mad."

"Why aren't you, though?"

Greg chewed on his lip for just a moment. "Do you want me to be mad? I'm confused."

"Of course I don't  _want_ —" Ruby forced a slow breath in and out. She still couldn't bring herself to turn around and look him in the eye, but she managed to keep her voice even and strong. "I'm just saying that I don't understand why you aren't madder at me. I put you through a lot for nothing. I just dropped you for years and came back to just make you feel worse."

Again, Greg paused, this time in deep thought.

"You know," he said at last, when Ruby was starting to think we wasn't going to say anything at all, "I had this cousin once. Cousin Cody. He came to every single family reunion even though we could never figure out who he was related to and how. But he came, and he had a real temper. He was going to be a freelance artist, and he was real defensive about it. Like, really. I complimented him on it once and he almost clotheslined me."

Ruby finally turned to face him, if only to give a scrunched-up look of confusion. Greg scrambled to explain himself.

"Whenever Cousin Cody got mad about stuff, he would chew gum. Not just once stick, he would chew an  _entire_  pack at once. If he didn't have any, he would find a way to get some. He'd go through everyone's purses and break into their cars. He stole some out of my back pocket once, and I honestly wasn't  _mad_  about it, but the thing was that I had  _already chewed it_ and had just stuck it back in the wrapper. I don't even understand what the point is in—"

"Okay, speaking of  _point_ , can we please get to yours?"

"My point is that chewing gum wasn't the problem. Chewing other people's gum was the problem."

"...Greg, no offense, but  _what_  does that mean?"

"It means that some people do things when they're upset that they'll regret later. I couldn't blame you for being upset after what happened. I couldn't even blame you for putting distance between us. I'm not going to lie and say that I was  _happy_  about it, but I just want you to know that it's okay because—"

"Alright!" Doug came strolling in, almost skipping, from the back with a manila folder held high above his head like a trophy. "I've got it! I've got exactly what we need!"

"Noooooo!" Greg threw his arms into the air and rounded on the officer in the same movement. "I was just getting to my deep emotional point to help Ruby!"

"Emotional matters can wait. The law can't. Now, Mister Greengrich had to leave because he left his clothes in the dishwasher back home. But he did confirm that there was, indeed, one person in his files who frequently takes cars out of the lot." Doug flipped the file open and showed it to both of them. With just a quick skim, both of them hummed in surprise. The man certainly had a history; it had to stretch to an extra page stapled onto the back. "I cannot give his name because I cannot pronounce it. But this is our prime suspect!"

Greg paused for just a moment. "I have two concerns. One: You don't leave clothes in a dishwasher, are you sure you heard him correctly? And two: what are we going to do now?"

"I hear you, Mister Universe. One: I heard him correctly, he said it after I told him that his patent was not legal because he wrote it himself in crayon, and he was jumping out of the window as he said it, so this place  _will_  be granted a visit by my coworkers at some point later today. And two: Now that we have his name, we know who our first and primary suspect is!"

"Yeah, but isn't going to someone's home kind of...You know, not something you should do with two civilians in tow?"

"No worries! This registry does not at all list his address, number, or any other identifying information, so we don't need to worry about going to his place of living. This might not even be his true name!"

"How is that a good thing!"

"It isn't! I..." Doug's voice dipped lower and lower until he was mumbling and looking at the file with a much more disappointed expression. "I was just so happy to be happy, I was trying to hold onto it just a little while longer."

Ruby, meanwhile, had been drawn to the window (i.e. the hole in the wall with no glass or covering of any kind) that overlooked a stretch of the junkyard. It was a bit difficult to make out through the downpour of rain, but...Yeah, she was sure about what she saw.

"Doug," she said as she squinted out. "I'm just curious; did Green-Grinch by any chance mention what the guy looked like, in any way?"

"Yes, in fact!" That one short exclamation of surprised joy dropped at once. "But everything he gave me relied solely on the man's clothes."

"Well, uh...What were they? I'm just curious."

"Well, according to Mister Greengrich, Mister Name-I-Cannot-Pronounce always wears neon cargo shorts, socks that don't match, and a T-shirt reading 'Every day is a weekend day if you have the right attitude' in several different colors. He may or may not be wearing fashionable aviators, as well."

Greg tried to disguise his cringe for a groan of...neutrality. "Well, I guess you're not going to miss someone dressed like that."

"I'll say," said Ruby, "Becaaaaaause he's outside. Right now."

Doug pretty much knocked her over to take her place at the window. Across the stretch of mud and possibly acidic puddles, someone wearing neon green cargo shorts, one blue sock and one bright yellow with black polka dots, and a beige T-shirt that probably read 'Every day is a weekend day if you have the right attitude' if he was facing the right way was looking around the junk mountains. He didn't seem to be very bothered by the fact that it was raining cats and dogs, or that what he was looking at was actual, literal garbage. In fact, he wouldn't look out of place at a tourist attraction.

But, as it was, the man simply shrugged and climbed into the vehicle behind him. It was not a very good vehicle, dented and rusted in several places. It was very obvious that the vehicle was native to the location.

Doug, unfortunately, seemed incapable of fully processing that the person who he might have been hunted for the better part of a year was now only a few dozen feet away. It took until the vehicle was moving for him to actually respond.

And respond he did.

_"GET. INTO. THE VAN."_

* * *

Ruby was throwing rocks that morning. She was throwing rocks and kicking herself for not doing something more productive.

She guessed this was more productive.

But she would rather be throwing rocks again.

Doug took yet another very, very hard turn. For him, he just gritted his teeth and kept his foot on the pedal. For Greg, his fingers gripped onto any surface they could find, tight enough for his knuckles to go bone-white. For Ruby, she was tossed against the wall and fell in a heap among Greg's clothes. She couldn't even bring herself to be that angry; compared to what she went through on a near-daily basis now, this was just a minor inconvenience.

Still, that didn't stop her from (after pulling a sock off her hair) yelling out,  _"Do you WANT another civilian casualty on your windshield?"_

Doug yelled back to her, even if he didn't really need to. He was so intensely focused on the road and the vehicle in front of them that he was utterly unaware that Greg was turning a rather unsavory hue of lime green. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Mister Ruby and Miss Universe! But I feel that you should both rest assured that your contribution to this case will better society once this is all over!"

It was a bit embarrassing to feel as comforted as she did with that little reassurance, but Ruby couldn't deny it. She wondered once again what was going on with her that day—since when did she get so bubbly over little misadventures with humans she had only met once before?

Regardless, she held her head up high and replied with a determined bark of, "For the better of society!"

"Yeah, that's great," Greg burped. He was trying to speak through the hand that was clamped over his mouth. "Can you guys let me off on the side of the road before you do that?"

"This will all be over soon, Mister Universe, just keep it in for a little while longer. Gah, we're losing him! He's so far ahead!"

"He's so far ahead," grumbled Greg, "because you put is in reverse."

Doug gave a little, sheepish hum and turned the gear shift back into drive. At the sudden shift in force, Greg all but cried. Ruby skidded across the floor until she hit the back doors. But even as the van closed the distance between itself and the one ahead, Doug let out yet another groan of frustration and bashed his fist against the steering wheel.

"Why isn't he pulling over," he growled. "We must have another chase on our hands here. Can he not see the flashing lights?"

"No," snapped Greg, "because we don't have any flashing lights."

"True. That means we need backup!" Doug's hand slapped down on the dashboard and met nothing but little buttons and two cup holders. While unintentionally turning on the radio onto some kind of bubbly foreign pop song, he barked out, " _Where's_  the dispatch radio?!"

"We don't have a dispatch radio. This is a normal v—Do you want me to drive? I really feel like you need to let me drive."

"Both of you be quiet," snapped Ruby. Greg had not noticed her approaching, and now jumped as she popped between him and Doug. Ruby didn't so much as blink as she scrambled into Greg's lap and over to the window. "I've got this."

Ruby rolled the window all the way down, and before Doug or Greg could so much as react, she had shimmied her way out of the van and onto the hood. Doug swerved out of sheer surprise, which in turn earned him a very annoyed side-glare through the windshield.

Getting up to her feet wasn't much of a problem. In fact, Doug and Greg were both impressed and just a little bit horrified that she stood on the hood of the van so nonchalantly. Still, when Ruby looked down at Doug and waved him forward, he complied.

The distance between the two cars shrunk bit by bit. Greg knew what was coming long before it happened, but he still jumped when Ruby...well, jumped.

In just one short second, Ruby had leaped from one vehicle to the next. Her hands latched onto the roof without a slip. In just one short second, she had flipped herself up onto the roof almost silently. Then it was just one short stroll to the windshield.

Mr. Name-That-Could-Not-Be-Pronounced didn't seem that bothered when she knocked on the glass. He even gave her a wave before he began to pull over.

The chase ended with that, just the two cars easing their way off the side of the road. Ruby slid off the roof and landed on her feet. Greg threw himself out and hunched over the grass just in case something made its way up his throat. It very much felt like it would.

Doug and his target both exited their respective cars at about the same time. Doug stormed over with thundering footsteps and eyes aflame, even as rain soaked through his clothes and dripped down his face. For the first time, Ruby felt that he was actually intimidating. She might have even been scared if she was in the suspect's shoes. Or perhaps not, because said suspect didn't so much as flinch as the officer closed in on him.

"Mister...Mister," Doug all but growled as he came toe-to-toe with his target. He had a good foot on the older man, and that combined with the obvious rage brewing within him made him loom over the man much like the gray clouds in the sky. "It has come to my attention that this is the next in a very long series of vehicles you have taken out of the Greengrich junkyard."

"Yes, sir," said Mr. Name-That-Could-Not-Be-Pronounced.

"Why is that?"

"I can't make up my mind, sir."

"You can't make up your mind on what vehicle you want?"

"No, sir."

"Do you have any children, Mister Mister?"

"No, sir."

"Do you have any proof of that?"

"Yes, sir."

"...Do you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Can I see it?"

"Yes, sir."

As if this was a simple, everyday exchange between two neighbors, Mr. Name-That-Could-Not-Be-Pronounced reached into the back pocket of his neon green cargo shorts and pulled out a piece of paper folded in half. Doug took it very warily, but once he flipped it open, his entire body seemed to freeze up. It was the man's family tree, an official document published by the National Heritage Library. The man's name was towards the bottom branches, and from it came no children, only a wife.

(Ruby took the opportunity of the moment to come up and peek at the document. The man's name was literally "Abcdefg Hijklmnop".)

Doug was not eager to submit, even if it was more out of desperation than determination. He tried to keep his voice strong when he next demanded, "Where were you three hours ago?"

"I went to the movies, sir."

"In this vehicle?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have proof of that?"

"No, sir."

"AHA!" Doug jabbed a finger right into Mr. Abcdefg's nose, even though he didn't get so much as a flinch. There was something crazy in the officer's eyes, clear even behind the lenses of his glasses. It was starting to disturb Ruby very much. "So you admit that even though you say you were at the theater movie at the accident of the time, you proof have no of this, and you could have very well instead been at the store at the crime of the time?"

"Doug," Ruby cut in before he could babble some more. The officer took three full seconds to actually look down at her. "This isn't even the same car the Cream Snatchers used."

Doug took a very long moment to look at the van, then Mr. Abcdefg, then Ruby, then Mr. Abcdefg, then the van, then the sheet of paper, then the van, then Ruby, then Mr. Abcdefg, then Ruby, then Greg, then Mr. Abcdefg, then the paper again.

Doug gave the paper back to the Mr. Abcdefg with a mumbled apology.

Then he went back to the van.

He lied down on the asphalt.

Ruby and a recovering Greg stared at the unmoving officer, and then glanced to each other. Doug didn't even seem to be  _breathing_ , let alone pulling himself together into a functioning human being. The rain continued to drip down on him and soak him down to the bone. It would have been hilarious, if it wasn't so heartcrushingly pathetic.

"You can go now, Mr. Abcdefg," Ruby said.

While Mr. Abcdefg climbed back into his vehicle, Ruby passed by Greg—who hadn't even processed how she said the man's name—and made her way to the soul-crushed officer. Even when Ruby knelt down beside him, he didn't so much as blink. His face was as sad and gray as a funeral. Mr. Abcdefg rolled away and down the road, leaving only the three of them and the whisper of rain.

"Doug," Ruby tried to coax him. She was reminded of the days when Steven was just a few years old, hiding under blankets and tables just so he wouldn't have to eat the broccoli on his plate, or to protect himself from thunder that rolled outside. "Doug? Douggy? Come on. It's okay. Everything is okay."

"No it's not," Doug mumbled against the wet asphalt.

"Alright." Ruby just went ahead and sat down, never minding the pebbles that dug into her legs. "Tell Ruby what's wrong."

Doug let out a quick huff, and lifted his head to somewhat face her. His cheek was slick, red, and covered in little gray grits of rock. His glasses were askew. And, again, Ruby was reminded of a very young Steven, because the way Doug's voice sounded was nothing short of childishly distressed.

"It's just..." He huffed again. "I've been trying to find the Cream Snatchers really hard, y'know? And all the other guys at the station make fun of me for focusing so much on it, but just...It's an actual problem, and I feel like I can fix it. But every time I think I'm about to finally catch them, I end up embarrassing myself. Even today, like, a million things went wrong. First I hit you, and I lost them because of that, and I dragged Mister Universe into this when he didn't have to be, and you've been doing a better job with this than I have even though this is supposed to be my job and eughmmememommem..."

That last part sounded like that because he buried his face back down into the road. Ruby just went ahead and gave the poor man a pat on the back, if only because it was what she could offer.

"Hey," she cooed to him, "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay...You're just making some mistakes, you're not a bad officer."

"Yes I am..."

"No, you're not. Hey, look at me, alright?" When Doug did, Ruby pressed her hands to her chest. "I've made a whole lot of mistakes in my job before. Sometimes I didn't get the monsters I was supposed to, sometimes I got someone hurt because I was too slow or I missed up. Sometimes I've even had my physical body destroyed because I had to retreat into my Gem to repair my injuries, you know?"

"Yeah, I've had days like that."

"Right. But I still think I'm really good at what I do. And you know what? You're admitting that you made mistakes. You know that you've done some things wrong, and you're trying to make up for it. Even if that doesn't...I don't know, magically erase what you did, it still counts for something."

From the front bumper of the van, Greg cried out, "That's what I was saying!"

Ruby frowned at him, forgetting about Doug for just a minute. "What?"

"Back at the junkyard, before we were interrupted. That story about Cousin Cody and the gum, what I was trying to say was that you were better than him because you admitted that what you did wasn't okay and you know you're not going to do it again. I mean..." Greg sighed and tossed a length of wet hair over his shoulder. "What you did to Opal was pretty bad, don't get me wrong, but you're not an awful person. You  _should_  feel bad about it, but you can't give up on it, otherwise you won't even have the chance to make up for it!"

Ruby did not know what to say for what felt like forever. She was vaguely aware of the rain rolling down her arms, soaking through her hair. It was hard to describe the state she was in, her mind moving at a mile a minute but somehow shutting down at the same time.

She knew Greg was right; she knew it, but at the same time, it could not have been so simple an answer as that. For all the time she had been beating herself up that day, her only thought was that she had no right to wallow in self-pity. It hadn't occurred to her that  _maybe_  that self-directed guilt was a good thing, that maybe she could use that as fuel instead of drowning in it.

In her haze, words seemed to slip out of her mouth. She didn't know whether she was talking to Greg or just herself. "But I  _have_  been trying. I've been trying to talk to her about it, but she keeps turning me away."

"I...Okay." Greg rubbed at the back of his neck. "That doesn't mean you stop trying, though. I mean obviously you shouldn't, I don't know,  _hold_   _her down_  until she forgives you, but you can keep trying to make up for it. Like I said before, I'm sure Opal's going to forgive you eventually. Maybe you should just...give her some space without dropping it? I'm not sure how you would do that, though. Look, I'm sorry, okay? I've never given such important advice to someone who wasn't Steven, and I don't really know what I'm doing, so if you just want to ignore me, you are more than welcome—"

"No. No, I..." Some kind of sound came out of her. Maybe it was a laugh, maybe a scoff. Maybe some kind of sigh of relief. "That's good. It's good advice. Thanks."

"Yeah." Greg shot her finger-guns, which normally would have been absolutely cringe-inducing, but she felt very comforted by them in the moment. "I've got your back, bud!"

The little moment—if one could call it that—might have gone on just a little longer. As it were, Doug piped up just to mumble, "I'm still sad."

"Oh. Uh...Alright, come on." Ruby took a hold of the back of Doug's shirt and pulled. The man very slowly pulled himself up, flopping about and groaning, almost mummy-like. The poor man's face still had grit stuck to the skin. "Pull yourself together. Look, you can give up and let these guys continue doing what they're doing, or you can put a stop to it. Only one of those things is your job."

Doug took a deep, deep breath, the deepest that day, expanding his chest out and whistling through his nose. And it came out in a long, loud gush through his mouth, after which he readjusted his glasses with recovering composure. He finally pulled himself up to his feet and wiped off his pants as if it would have any effect.

"You're right," he said, in that sort of clipped-because-I'm-embarrassed sort of way. "Of course. I'm sorry for...that. I had a moment. I promise this will not happen again."

Greg gave a shrug. "Hey, man, we all have moments. It's all good."

"Good. Good." Doug sniffed. "Alright. Now. Back to where we were. Or...If you two would rather go home, you can. I believe I may be able to take it from here."

"What?" Ruby scoffed and threw her arms up into the air. "I did not spend the past several hours doing all this just to duck my head and walk away! I'm seeing this through."

Doug nodded to her with the hint of a smile, and the two of them turned to Greg expectantly. He drummed his fingers on the hood of the van, avoiding their gaze. He was quiet for just a little too long, long enough for Doug to pull his sleeve back to take a peek at his watch.

"Sure," Greg sighed at last. "Why not? But I'm driving from now on. And if shots are fired,  _I'm out_."

"Of course, of course," said Doug.

"But if shots are fired,  _I'm in_ ," Ruby chimed in.

"Of course, of course."

Doug crossed his arms behind his back and marched a few paces forward. The rain was beginning to lighten up by this point, now just a little downfall that speckled the road. The three of them had given up all hope of staying dry at this point, so Doug didn't so much as flinch as his boots splashed through the puddles.

"So we have an age," mumbled Doug. "We have a hotspot. We can guess what the motive is. So now we have just one more thing we need to do."

Ruby hummed. "Which is?"

"A stakeout!"

* * *

In the dark of the evening, the yellowish headlights of the truck were almost eerie, the hum of the engine only accompanied by the drip-drops of the fading rain. The mountains of junk and debris created a valley, and from that valley came shadows, so dark that one wouldn't be able to make out what piece of scrap was which, whether that was a living rodent or just another overstuffed trash bag.

Little footsteps padded towards the truck, squishing through the mud. The door opened with quite a loud squeak, and it was a bit of a scramble up to the seat. There was already someone waiting inside, of course, and the two of them shared a nod to one another. This was simply business, just another venture, just another job to take care of.

The key—not truly the key, but a piece of scrap that had been fashioned and twisted to fit just about any ignition in the world—was twisted one more time, just to hear the engine sputter again, an assurance that all was well. It was an old car, as most in the yard were. The whole thing hummed with its own power. The little bubblehead on the dash couldn't stop its little dance.

The door was slammed closed, a foot was pressed to the pedal, and wheels churned through the mud. Rain drops continued to speckle on the windshield, with no wipers to erase them. The radio was on, but not functional, just a white noise like static that was not at all pleasant to listen to but provided something just to fill the silence.

It was a slow, wet drive to the main road. As usual, there was no one else there, not a car, not a van. There was a reason this place was used as it was. Hardly anyone drove by it, let alone gave it any mind. As the asphalt came closer, a wrapper was peeled off, a cherry sucker popped into a mouth. Footsteps propped themselves up on the dash.

And then, an intervention. Tires squealing to a halt. A flash of headlights. A slam on the brakes.

Then, him. The Officer.

"Get out of the vehicle," he barked out through the window of the van. It was a van that had never been seen before, one with letters on the side that said 'MR. UNIVERSE', whoever that was.

And get out of the vehicle they did, but in no way were they intending on doing so in submission. The doors flew open, feet hit the mud, and then they were running. If the Officer said something, it went unheard over blood in their ears and thrums in their chests. The mud sucked onto their shoes, but they kept pumping their arms. Months and months this had gone on. It would not end tonight.

But then one of them was grabbed, an arm constricting around their middle and pulling them tight. The ground gave way to air, and they yelped, not realizing when the mud returned. Another was caught too, and just a moment later, the last. Even so much as trying to squirm was a useless battle. The arms might as well have been made of steel.

It was hard to tell when they lost. Maybe it was right when that van came out, or when those arms caught them. In any case, once the Officer finally came, flashlight in hand and tailed by someone they could only assume was backup, they knew it was over. All over. Today, of all days, was going to be the last in a prosperous business.

Now, this was all from their point of view. From that of Doug and Greg, what they found as they approached was Ruby with three small children trapped, not harmfully, in her arms. The oldest was maybe ten, a girl with dark, messy hair and skin covered in freckles. On her finger was that plastic cupcake ring. Another seemed maybe seven, a boy, with blond hair long enough to be pulled back with a tie and one of his front teeth missing. The youngest was—and this honestly disturbed the adult men just a bit—a toddler probably related to the boy. He was holding onto her, and Ruby was being careful not to hurt her in her grasp.

The boy was the first to speak when the light fell on them and his voice—though lisped with the aforementioned missing teeth—was practically dripping with venom. "I can't believe this. I did not quit soccer just so I could get caught by a rookie with a fake badge!"

Doug raised a very unamused brow at him. "Didn't your mother tell you not to talk to adults like that?"

"I talk to her the same way!"

"I'm sure you do." The light turned to all of them, one-by-one. Doug had thought that he would be laughing with joy, jumping in the air, maybe even taunting the thieves as much as he could. But, as it was, he just squinted at them all, a little annoyed and very confused. "Has it really just been the three of you this whole time?"

The older girl spoke up this time. "We don't know what you're talking about!"

Doug sighed. "Kids. Listen. We know you three are the Cream Snatchers. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"You can't prove anything," yelled the boy.

So Doug just shook his head and turned to Greg. "That freezer back there. Could you open it?"

He shined the beam of the flashlight to it, a rusted-and-busted rectangle embedded in the lowermost roots of the junk mountains. Greg squished his way over to it—he got stuck several times, which maybe embarrassed Ruby and Doug more than it did him—and tugged it open.

From inside poured dozens, maybe hundreds, of ice cream wrappers and sticks, crumpled and broken in one great flow. On top of them all was a fresh haul, maybe so much as forty treats still unmelted. How the kids had managed to get the freezer to function without any power source was beyond any of the adults, but it didn't much matter.

The older girl scoffed and glared daggers at the boy. "I told you it was too obvious."

He shot back, "Putting them in all the broken microwaves was dumb and you know it!"

The toddler spoke up at last. "Macro-ways!"

Doug cleared his throat, and despite the glares leveled his way, the three children complied. Sans the toddler, who continued to coo out "macro-ways" like a song.

"I hope you have an idea of what you've done," he told them all. Both Ruby and Greg got the gist that this was how he spoke to Connie at their age.

The boy scoffed and rolled his eyes. If Ruby's arm was not bound across his chest, he might have crossed his arms. "Big deal. We stole some ice cream. What are you going to do, throw us in jail?"

"You did not just 'steal some ice cream.' You stole, in total, over three hundred dollars' worth of ice cream. You drove vehicles—which were uninsured and stolen, among other things—underage, recklessly, and without a license. You evaded the police. On top of all of that, you have a  _baby_  with you, so if you had crashed or otherwise been hurt, so would she."

The sassy-at-worst-and-grumpy-at-best composure that the two older children had been trying to put up slowly crumbled with each word that came from Doug's mouth. Eyes that had been glaring up at him turned to one another, wide and unblinking. The toddler, meanwhile, continued to just kick her legs and giggle.

The girl asked, slowly and very afraid, "So what's going to happen to us?"

Doug put on an exaggerated thinking expression, finger on his chin and eyes tilted upwards. The hand holding the flashlight went to his hip. "Well, let's see...Multiply by two, add three, divide by six..." His face went flat. "At least five years in prison."

The reaction was not immediate. Ruby and Greg did it before the children did. Greg blinked up at the officer, wide-eyed, while Ruby couldn't help but give a smug smile.

Finally, the boy broke, rounding on the girl as much as he could in the bind that he was in. "This is all your fault, Jelly!"

"What?!" She tried to wrangle out of Ruby's arms to get at the boy, to no avail. "How is this  _my fault_?! It was your idea to begin with!"

" _You_  were the one who hotwired all the cars!"

"And? You were the one who went in and actually  _took_  the ice cream,  _Quarter_!"

"Yeah, but  _you_  drove the cars out!"

"Whose idea was it to change costumes in the bathrooms, huh?"

"Do you have any idea what P.B. is going to do when she finds out what I did? She won't sign to me for  _weeks_!"

"What do you think my mom's going to do when she finds out I've been taking Penny with us this whole time?! Forget about giving up soccer practice, I'm going to have to sign my death warrant!"

As their verbal battle went on, tears began to swell in the children's faces until they began to spill down their reddened cheeks. The toddler, Penny, only seemed slightly befuddled by it all, until she found new interest in the arms that held them. So while Quarter and Jelly continued to yell and cry, and Penny began to gnaw on Ruby's arm, the Gem holding them didn't really flinch, just looked up at Doug and Greg with no clue of what to do next.

Greg leaned towards the officer and dropped his voice, perhaps too low considering the cacophony the children were making. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I'm not serious," Doug scoffed. "I'm going to call their parents, see what they do from there. But I'm also going to let this go on just a little while longer."

"Fair enough," hummed Greg.

Ruby blocked out the screaming in her ears for a minute, taking a breather for the first time in a while. It wasn't really that this whole chase had been exhausting—it was really a little blip compared to everything she's done before to Gem Monsters and Homeworld soldiers alike. But the "internal" change she'd gone through that day has certainly been a little harrowing.

She still wasn't itching to run back home. She couldn't predict even then what would happen once she returned. If Opal was there, she might try to apologize again, or she would step back and let her be. It could be she wouldn't see the fusion there at all, just Sapphire and—

She felt the children slip just a bit in the jump she gave. She managed to raise her voice over them to yell,  _"Will everything be okay if I go now?"_

Doug blinked for just a moment, but finally replied with a loud, "Yes, you're good!"

So Ruby carefully but quickly set the children down into the mud. They didn't really seem to notice any, except for Penny, who of course went to playing with the mud as if it was the best thing in the world. Once they were down, Ruby bolted for the freezer and rifled through all the ice cream treats, wrapped and unwrapped. It took a moment, but she managed to grab onto a little strawberry pint.

The dollar bills came into her palm at once, and she all but threw them at Doug. She would have run right to the road if he didn't call out to her.

"Something wrong?"

"I just remembered why I was getting ice cream in the first place," she replied in a rush. "Uh...Thanks for letting me help? I guess?"

"Thank  _you_ , Miss Ruby! Your contribution will not be ignored. Let me know if you're ever looking for a job in security, alright?"

Greg cut in before she could take off. "Do you want a ride?"

"I'll be fine. Thank you, too, Greg! I really appreciate what you told me today and I'm still sorry for what happened between us but also I promise we're going to work on this so just know that even though I wished what happened hadn't, I'm looking forward to what we'll do in the future, okay? Bye!"

She said all this while she was running away, and maybe Greg didn't hear that last bit when she was already running down the road. But she knew he would get the gist of it, and didn't linger on it any longer.

Even then, as she ran down that road slick with rain, the storm clouds finally giving way to let the moonlight peek through, she found that her thoughts did not weigh so heavily anymore. She thought not of Jasper or Chrysocolla or Homeworld, just about everything in general—somehow thinking about it all at once, in general, was easier than lingering on everything individually.

Still, even though the guilt was still there, so was a new determination. It wasn't fiery, it didn't give her a surge of energy. It was a solid sort of thing—that was the only way she could describe it. Opal probably wouldn't forgive her that night, probably not tomorrow. Maybe not for a while. But she could keep trying to better herself, because that was what she needed to do.

So she held onto that thought, all the way back home.

(Mostly. She realized about ten feet from the door that she'd forgotten about the lightbulb.)


	9. The Official

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapphire decides to get a job in local government.

"Mayor Dewey, sir!"

The sudden voice of one of his security guards almost made said mayor jump a mile in the air. He tried to get a hold of himself quickly, tugging at his tie and blazer as fast as he could while still looking professional. His voice was not as strong as he wanted it to be when he answered, "What is it? I'm working on very important documents here."

(Said important documents were actually one sheet of paper on which he was drawing himself slaying a dragon.)

"One of the Crystal Gems is here," the guard answered dutifully.

Mayor Dewey instantly felt as cold as an ice cube. Sweat had broken out over his skin in an instant; the pencil in his fingers snapped it half with his sudden grip. He stood to his feet shakily, almost knocking over the leather chair he sat in. He turned to look through the windows behind him, as though expecting to see the problem right there and then—invaders, space ships, hellfire raining down from the sky. But it was just the same old street, the same buildings, the same sidewalk.

And yet, he was filled with the horrible, dreadful knowledge that it could all be gone soon. His heart wasn't beating right anymore. His throat couldn't seem to swallow.

He swept everything off his desk in one wave of his arm, neverminding the coffee that spilled onto the scarlet carpet of his office. For a second, his own mind seemed to be against him, because he worried too much on fitting it all in before finally looking back to his guard. He—Mayor Dewey was just a little ashamed to admit that he did not truly know what his name was despite all the years of his employment—seemed as cool as a cucumber compared to his leader.

"Send her in," he said in a voice thick with fear. "Prepare the emergency broadcast. Hurry!"

The security guard went off in a flash, and for a very awful, spine-wrecking stretch, it was just Mayor Dewey in his office. Every sound put him on edge. A crick in the wall, or the first missile landing? Was that just the air conditioner down the hall, or the screams of panic from the citizens? Oh, where was  _Buck_?

The door opened in the midst of his panic, but instead of cutting it short, it just made it worse. He perhaps might have felt a little more comfortable if it was the tall one, Opal, with the snowy hair and bright eyes.

Instead, it was Sapphire, still dressed in the same cobalt gown as always, her long waves of blue hair as prim as ever. The short blue alien-rock-person did not seem at all panicked, but that didn't give him any sense of calm. She  _never_  seemed panicked, a fact that he was both envious and fearful of.

"Mayor Dewey," she greeted in a very calm voice. She curtsied to him.

"Miss Sapphire," he returned to her, and cringed at the crack in his voice. His hand reached up and tugged at his tie once again, on instinct. His collar was damp with sweat. "Please. Be straightforward with me. How bad is it?"

He braced himself for the worst—"There's no point in even trying, Bill. Go find your son. Tell him you love him."—but Sapphire paused for a very long moment, her little gloved hands clasped in front of her, before replaying with nothing more than "How bad is what?"

He couldn't stop his neck from snaking back at her response. His chapped lips moved soundlessly for far too long before the words just bubbled out of him, high and wretched. "How bad is the situation? Is it a Level One? Level Two?  _Level Black_?!"

Sapphire again took her sweet, precious time answering. "Nothing's happening, Mayor Dewey. You can calm down."

And calm down he did, in a very shaky, unstable manner. It was kind of like taking a huge weight off his shoulders, the way it was relieving but left a tingling pain all over. He sucked in a breath of cold air almost too big for his lungs to take and sat back down into his leather chair, sinking into it. The coffee that had spilled into the carpet was now very much annoying him, and as Sapphire approached, he opened his drawers to get everything back to where it was.

Mayor Dewey clicked his tongue. "Well, thank goodness for that. But what is it you need help with? Is the alarm still working? Do you have any ideas for the security system?...Preferably one that won't sap from the already-severely-cut Dewey Memorial Fund that will have to be pushed back by a minimum of two years?"

Sapphire's pause felt a lot more annoyed this time, especially as she stood on the other side of his desk. He wondered if she was glaring at him from behind her thick bangs.

Instead of snarking, she held out a sheet of paper to him. She certainly hadn't been holding it before, so he had to just brush it off as another feat of weird alien magic. He took it from her, for some reason still worrying that it would have a warning or a ransom on it.

(Please, not another ransom. Not again.)

But it was just a posting for a job opening, one that had been printed and put up all over town. Beach City being as small as it was, that amounted to about five papers. The job wasn't anything special, it hardly even counted as a "government position".

Mayor Dewey set the paper down to look at Sapphire with one brow raised. "Is there a problem with the job posting?"

Now it was Sapphire's turn for her head to snake back, if only just slightly. "I didn't notice anything."

"Well, then what—?"

"I would like to apply," Sapphire finally said, slowly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which...maybe it was.

Still, Mayor Dewey did not know how to respond right away. He spent maybe a bit too long just blinking at the person across from him. Sapphire didn't seem to be bothered by this, though he didn't know that this was because she knew that this was going to be his reaction.

"Um..." Mayor Dewey cleared his throat and licked his lips. "You already have a position in Beach City's government, Miss Sapphire, however unofficial it is. You don't need to apply."

"I know what my 'unofficial position in the Beach City government' is," Sapphire said. Her tone implied she didn't think very highly of the phrasing. "What I'm asking to do is apply for  _this_  position."

Mayor Dewey opened his mouth to just ask 'why', only for Sapphire to stop him with just, "I'm bored."

"I...Well..." Mayor Dewey thought about it for just a moment. It wasn't that it was a  _bad_  idea, per se. It was just that he didn't think Sapphire would ever be really interested in something like this. Even in that meeting they had about the new security system, she seemed to be a mix of 'absolutely bored' and 'moderately disgusted'. "I suppose this is fine. The job doesn't require any former experience."

"Excellent," Sapphire said, albeit in a bored tone. "Maybe you could show me to my desk?"

Just then, the door to his office opened once more, and the security guard had returned. He was as calm and serious as ever.

"The emergency broadcast system is ready, sir."

"I..." Mayor Dewey sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's fine. Just forget about it."

"I understand, sir." The security guard pressed a finger to the device in his ear. "This is Lewis. The PSA is 'It's fine. Just forget about.' I repeat, let the entirety of Beach City know: 'Just forget about it.'"

He turned to leave, and though Mayor Dewey stretched out a hand and opened his mouth, he couldn't call out to stop him when he didn't know what to call him. The security guard left, and Bill buried his face into his palms. "I really need to remember that guy's name."

* * *

"So, this will be your desk. It isn't much, but...It isn't much. There's no 'buts.'"

The 'desk', if it could even be called that, was more like a very short podium. Maybe it was a podium that had been cut in half at some point. There were no drawers, no computer, not even a cup of pens. The only thing on it was a single (unsharpened) pencil. It had a chair, at least, albeit a plastic one that had probably been white at some point. Both were in the corner of the room. One couldn't be blamed for thinking that they were there for the janitor to haul out.

Mayor Dewey himself actually thought they were there for the janitor to haul out before he remembered what they were.

"So," he went on when Sapphire didn't react. "Let me get you your supplies."

He left the room then, his footsteps fading down the hall. Sapphire knew that he was going to the front of his house to where the wooden box was, hung to the wall beside the front door. Sapphire knew that he was lifting the box up and off of the wall, knew that he was coming back in.

Mayor Dewey returned with the box, of course, and held it out to Sapphire. The front of it read in peel-and-stick, unfortunately faded letters, 'Public Concerns'. There was a slit in the top of the box, but with a turn of a key, Mayor Dewey had it opened.

Inside were many pieces of papers. Most were letters, envelopes and all, made out to the address of Mayor Dewey's home. Some were cards, some were simple sheets torn out of notepad papers. Though Sapphire couldn't read through them all at once, each had a date written on them.

"These are the concerns of the citizens," Mayor Dewey told her. "Questions, problems, generally just stuff that needs to be taken care of. Anything major, you just tell me, even though I ask that you don't. Otherwise, you should be able to take care of them all."

Sapphire dug down deep into the box, as far as she could. She hadn't realized until then that it was quite a  _large_  box, deep enough for the papers to swallow her arm up to the elbow. When she pulled a paper from the very bottom, she flipped it over to read the date. It was three years old.

 _This is a sprightly system,_  she thought before she could really help it.

Mayor Dewey didn't miss the sarcasm whether it was in her head or not, apparently, and swelled up with his hands on his hips. "There are many pressing things to be taken care of in a city's government. It just so happens that Beach City is so small that all those pressing things fall on my shoulders and no one else's."

Sapphire waved the paper about. "Are these not 'pressing things'?"

"No," Mayor Dewey snorted. He caught himself quickly, tried to regain his professional stature. Sapphire only just then noticed that his blazer was really too big for him, and it was hard to take him seriously because of it. "Listen, Miss Sapphire. Most of the things that you will find in this box are simple grievances. Some are just petty complaints. I'm sure you'll even find a junk mail or two. If that does not sound to be your liking, you are more than welcome to—"

"I'll do it." Sapphire set the box on the podium and took her seat. "I think I can take it from here."

Mayor Dewey seemed satisfied with that, and nodded. "Good. Also, if anyone knocks at the door, don't open it. Even if it's just a delivery boy." He turned to walk away, paused, and added, "But if it's Scouts, get me two boxes of thin mints and one of samoas. There's money by the door."

Then he finally left. Sapphire took a moment to take in her "office", which was really just the living room of the Deweys' home. There was a clock on the wall, ticking loudly. It would have been too quiet on any other day, but as it was  _today_ —and more than a week, for that matter—it was perfect. Just what she had been looking for.

She began sorting through all the papers. She ripped open the envelopes, deciphered the messy handwriting on the notes, looked at the dates and tried to fit them in order. Some she tossed in the garbage because she knew they were too outdated or already taken care of. There was an almost startling number of entries about the Crystal Gems, though not by name. They were about the weird monsters that roamed into the streets, or the curious sounds that came from the Temple.

It was not a long process, and once she had it all organized and sorted out, she decided to begin from the beginning.

So the first time in her new office lasted about ten minutes. Then she was gone again.

* * *

_The Buddy Buddwick memorial bench in Dewey park looks atrocious. It's disgusting. It's terrible. I don't want to sit on that. I don't understand how this happened. It's hideous. I can't believe it. It's just plain awful. Just the worst. It needs to be taken care of. It's just dismal. It's a disaster. I could go on and on about how revolting it is. It's horrendous. It's nightmare-inducing. I had a nightmare about it. I hate it. It's so easy to hate. It's repulsive. It's awful. I can't wrap my head on how it exists. It's nauseating. It brings bile into my mouth. It's pitiful. It's poor. I feel sorry for that bench. It's lonely. No one wants to sit on it and it's lonely. That poor bench. What happened to that bench. It's so sad. That sad, sad bench. I'm crying. I'm crying for that bench. It's a tragedy._

And so on the first letter went, dated a little over two years back. So thus, Sapphire found herself in Dewey park, standing before the Buddy Buddwick memorial bench.

The note was right. Lengthy, but right. Whoever's job it was to upkeep the thing either didn't care or just plain forgot about it. Most of the planks of wood were missing, some remaining. Every single bit of it was rotting. Instead of using cast iron (as was most reasonable), the creator of it had used simple metal, so years upon years of rain and whatever else left the rotting wood in a rusted skeleton. The plate memorializing Buddy Buddwick himself was made of copper that hadn't been treated, so it was now so green you could barely make out the letters.

Looking down at it, Sapphire could only say a single word. "Woof."

Sapphire decided that a new bench would have to be made altogether. Problem being, carpentry wasn't really in Sapphire's programming, so she would have to be a little more creative.

* * *

"We don't sell benches."

Sapphire pursed her lips at the worker's response. She tried to give the six magic words, the one she had heard many times before in movies and whatever else. "Could you check in the back?"

The worker sighed at this. "Ma'am, we don't sell benches here. This is a T-shirt store. We sell T-shirts."

Sapphire turned away from him and looked about at the shelves and racks that surrounded them. Sure enough, everything had rows and stacks of T-shirts in all shapes and sizes. That was it. There was literally nothing but T-shirts.

"I honestly don't know what you were expecting," said the worker.

Sapphire hummed. "Thank you for your time."

"Hold on." Sapphire turned, and the worker set his chin in his hand as he peered down at her. His eyes were narrowed in deep thought. "You said you work in government?"

"As of today, yes."

"And you're taking care of complaints?"

"As of today, yes."

"Huh. Well, I put something in there a while back. Do you have it? Third of March, this year."

Sapphire pulled out all the papers from her Gem, earning only a little perk of surprise from the worker, and rifled through them. It ended up being a sheet of yellow notepad paper, only one of many with very bad handwriting, but she made it out.

"Sugar Juice," she said aloud.

The worker nodded, suddenly serious and almost angry. "So, listen. There's a drink machine in-between here and Funland. It used to have this type of soda. Sugar Juice. It's absolutely awful for you. I mean, there is literally no nutritional value. Drinking one a day could actually plug up your bloodstream. But it tastes  _wicked_  good. Up until just a while back, there was always Sugar Juice in that machine. Now there's not anymore."

The worker just left it at that. Sapphire had to be the one to pick up the conversation, something she was very not used to doing. "And?"

"And I  _need_  that stuff. You see this?" The worker held up his hand so that Sapphire could see the back of it. There were faded spots all over his skin, so light they were almost impossible to see. "I broke out in hives because I got taken off that stuff. I blacked out for two days and one night. I  _need_  that stuff."

Sapphire just hummed at this. The letters went back into her Gem in a quick flash of blue light. "I will see to this."

"No, listen. If you can figure out where to get more of that stuff, then I can get you a bench."

"How?"

"I know a guy. Do we have a deal?" When Sapphire hesitated, the worker urged, "This is still your job, y'know. I'm just giving a little incentive to keep the ball rolling."

That was true, Sapphire supposed. At least this venture would kill two birds with one stone.

"Hello?"

The voice that called out from the front of the store startled Sapphire out of her consideration. She didn't need to look into the future to know who it was; she knew it. She recognized it.

All it took was one jump into the air to get her out of sight. The worker blinked up at her, wide-eyed, but seemed to catch on and didn't make a comment on it. With her hands gripping the wooden boards that held up the roof, Sapphire peered down past the skirts of her dress.

Steven came into the store, a T-shirt folded up in his hand and a spring in his step. Sapphire took a little comfort in seeing that he was in a good mood—a comfort that was squashed under the fear that he would look up and see her hiding. And, of course, Sapphire knew that was a possibility. Everything was a possibility.

Steven came up to the counter and set the T-shirt down. "Hey! Sorry, I think I'm going to have to try another one."

The worker nodded with a little sigh, taking the T-shirt and folding it up in that very certain way that Sapphire had never managed to figure out. "Alright. What was the problem this time?"

Steven let out a singing sigh. "Ooooh, you know. Not my style." He wandered over to the nearest rack of T-shirts, flipping them through one-by-one. "I'm looking for something just a little more... _Me_. Something that really says  _Steven Universe_."

"Right," drawled the worker. "Just like the sixteen times before now."

Steven went through the entire rack, never once looking up to find his blue friend still hanging overhead. Sapphire still didn't relax, however. For each time that he didn't look up passed, two more where he did took its place.

Eventually, Steven just sighed and turned to the worker. "Do you have any suggestions? I'm looking for something loud but warm. Cool, but friendly. A bright color, but not in your face."

The worker pretended to think about it very hard. He hummed very loudly and stroked his chin slowly. "Yeah, yeah...maybe something pink...with a yellow decal in the middle..."

Steven's eyes lit up at once. Even from above, Sapphire could see the stars in his irises. "Exactly!"

"Well, have I got the thing for you!" Here the worker bent down beneath the counter, rummaged around for just a moment, then pulled out just that: a T-shirt in a warm shade of pink, with a yellow star in its chest.

And yes, it was near identical to Steven's. It was just a bit of a lighter shade, the star just a little bit sharper.

Still, Steven gasped at it in awe. Though the words that came from his mouth were "Yes, please", the fingers that grabbed for it said "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

The worker just handed it over with a mumble of "Here you go", and then Steven just left. He never saw Sapphire.

Said Gem descended back down to the floor as soon as he was gone. The worker still didn't comment on her hiding, though he did watch her as she stared after Steven. She wondered, for just a moment, if hiding from him was...Well, not "bad", but "unnecessary."

It was definitely unnecessary. Scratch that.

But perhaps it was a bit...mean to him.  _If_  Steven had looked up, he would have asked what she was doing, of course. She didn't look far enough into the future to see if she came up with a good (lie of an) excuse, though she imagined that if she just point-blank told him that she was avoiding him, he would be greatly hurt.

She didn't know how long she just stood there staring, but eventually the worker clicked his tongue. "Sooo are you going to go get that Sugar Juice, orrrr...?"

* * *

There was one (1) place in all of Beach City where Sugar Juice could be found in a machine.

Sapphire honestly didn't know what she was expecting.

"So just so I'm clear," Mr. Smiley drawled as much as Mr. Smiley could, "You want to buy every Sugar Juice out of this machine so you can put it in another one?"

"Yes," Sapphire confirmed. She didn't say it out loud, but she wondered to herself how she couldn't have been clear about it.

Mr. Smiley seemed to contemplate on this for a moment. "Seemed", because what might have been obvious on any other person's face was not so on Mr. Smiley's. Because he kept smiling. In a very strange way. He was leaning against the drink machine in question, one palm on the side. In the midst of his thinking, a child strolled up to it, put a dollar in, took the dollar and straightened it when it came back out, put it back in, took the dollar and straightened it when it came back out, put a dollar in, took the dollar and put it in her pocket, put in a few quarters instead, selected her drink, pulled it out of the slot, and left.

"Hm-hm-hm..." Mr. Smiley rubbed a finger over his chin. "This is quite a request."

Sapphire cleared her throat. Again, she found herself trying to man a conversation. This was a strange day. "You'd be making money."

"True. However: it seems to me like you don't know how this works. See, I have a contract with the people who provide the drinks in this machine. Funland is the only location in the town where they'll deliver Sugar Juice."

Sapphire opened her mouth.

"It was approved by the mayor. So, not illegal."

Sapphire closed her mouth.

"Now, I myself have no love for the carbonated sugar-water, but the kids around here chug this down by the gallon. So it's good business for me. I'm not all that willing to just change my contract just like  _that_." He punctuated this with a snap of his fingers.

Sapphire pursed her lips. "Do you want me to do something to change your mind?"

Mr. Smiley smiled a very catlike smile. "As a matter of fact!"

* * *

Mr. Fryman was so confused by the words that left Mr. Smiley's mouth that he ended up drowning a boat of fries in ketchup. He had yet to notice, however, and kept his eyes locked on Sapphire and Mr. Smiley both as he asked, "What?"

Sapphire just let Mr. Smiley take it over. He leaned on the counter of the restaurant (food stand? vending location?) with a suave smile, eyes sparkling with charm. Sapphire had the sense that he was very good at getting what he wanted through his words.

"Your napkins," Mr. Smiley said again. "You run a fine business here, Mr. Fryman, but your napkins are quite the problem. Your customers commonly come to Funland after their purchases. Fast food and amusement parks pair like wine and cheese, as you know."

"Yes. Continue."

"Unfortunately, your napkins are...shall we say, 'not biodegradable'? I constantly find them all around my establishment. Now, given, litter is just going to happen. We're humans; humans are filthy monsters.  _But_ , you may be able to understand that the litter is from an establishment that is not my own, so having it ruin the atmosphere of Funland is especially frustrating because of this."

Mr. Fryman didn't say anything immediately. The boat of ketchup was slid over to Mr. Smiley, who nonchalantly dived in to find the fries buried beneath. To Sapphire, he handed a single fry wrapped in a napkin, as requested. She nibbled on it demurely while Mr. Fryman's jaw worked side-to-side.

"Alright," Mr. Fryman said at last, albeit in a warily slow voice. "I can see where you're coming from. Buuuuut, I'm afraid there's not much that I can do. I can't just stalk all my customers to make sure they don't litter."

"Mr. Frymaaaan." Mr. Smiley reached out and took a hold of the man's shoulder, giving it a tight but friendly squeeze. "My buddy. My chum. My pal. My friend. My buddy. My pal. My chum. My bud. My friend. My fella. My brother. My amigo. My pal. My buddy. My friend. My chummy-chum-chum pal."

(This went on for several minutes.)

"I'm not asking you to do something so tedious," he finished at last. "We can't  _all_  stalk our customers to see if they're misbehaving—"

Mr. Fryman's brows furrowed. "'All'?"

"—what I am asking is that you simply change your napkins to something a touch environmentally friendlier. Several other restaurants have made the change to biodegradable products. Surely you can do the same, my friendly friend? My friend? My pal? My friend? My buddy? My chum? My pally friend? My chum-buddy?"

(This went on for several more minutes. Sapphire wondered if this was a good idea after all.)

Mr. Fryman hummed when Mr. Smiley was finally done. He scratched at his tall pillar of hair in his thoughts. "That's true. I guess if I turn off the nano-freezer when we're not using it, I might be able to afford the change."

"Excellent," cried Mr. Smiley, and he took a ketchup-soaked fry in celebration. He threw an arm around Sapphire's shoulders, although he had to squat to do it. "See, Miss Sapphire? If you want your public service job to go smoothly, all you got to do is persuade and listen and persuade some more."

Mr. Fryman frowned. "Public service job?"

"Of course!" Mr. Smiley ruffled the top of Sapphire's head. She had to bite her lip to keep it from curling back from her teeth in a snarl. "Miss Sapphire here has taken it upon herself to listen to the complaints of us small folk!"

"So...You're looking at all the complaints the citizens have?"

Sapphire didn't want to say yes. She knew what was going to happen if she said yes.

She said, "Yes."

"Hmmmm..." Mr. Fryman scratched at his hair again. Sapphire had no explanation to how the man's hair managed to defy gravity the way it did. "I see...Well, I'll tell you what. I've got a complaint myself."

In answer, Sapphire pulled the stack of papers out once again and pulled it out. He'd taken the time to put it in an envelope and stamp it, but it had been a little over a year and the seal was still unbroken.

"That's it!" Mr. Fryman grinned and leaned on the counter. "How about you help me with that and I'll see what I can do about these...bio-de...bio-de-managed...bio-de-miraged...Techno napkins?"

"That's a great idea!" Mr. Smiley reached to pull Mr. Fryman in with his arm, but there was no way to do it with the boat on the counter. So Mr. Smiley just tossed it over his shoulder, ignoring the mess of ketchup and fries that  _plopped_  on the boards in favor of wrapping his arm around Mr. Fryman and pulling him so close their cheeks mashed together. And no, Mr. Fryman did not look happy with this. "How about it, Miss Sapphire? This is your job, after all!"

Sapphire looked down at the papers. This would kill three birds, she guessed.

"Alright," she said at last. She broke the seal and pulled the paper out.

Mr. Smiley looked over his shoulder at the fries and ketchup that he'd thrown onto the boardwalk. Seagulls had already descended on it.

"Man," he groaned, still smiling, "this town  _really_  has a littering problem."

* * *

Mr. Fryman leaned against the side of the building with his arms crossed. "Well, there it is. What do you think?"

Sapphire examined the pothole. She had never driven a car before. Or, well, she  _had_ , but that was way back when cars were first invented and it didn't go over very well at all. So, with as little automobile expertise that she had, she had never really been afraid of the dangers of potholes. That being said, she understood the dangers of this one. A car could have its tire decimated in this thing.

"I can take care of this," Sapphire replied.

"Fantastic!" Mr. Fryman clapped his hands together and grinned from ear to ear. "If I had a dollar for every time I got a shipment of potatoes ruined because the car hit this thing, I would have three dollars and forty-two cents!"

Mr. Smiley was sitting cross-cross-applesauce (as he described it) on the asphalt beside Mr. Fryman. Standing out in the middle of a town street would usually be a problem, but, well, this was Beach City.

"Truly fantastic," he agreed. "So all we need to do is get someone to fill this up. Then Mr. Fryman can get his new napkins, I'll get that Sugar Juice back in that machine, and you can get your bench. Easy as A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-ELEMENO-P!"

Sapphire hummed. "We need rocks." She reached for a pebble and dropped it into the pothole. "That's one."

"Mr. Fryman!"

The voice of Kofi Pizza had the three of them looking up. The owner of Fish Stew Pizza was walking towards them, waving, having seen them while putting the trash away in the dumpster. Sapphire kept her attention focused on the pothole while he approached.

"I was meaning to talk to you," Kofi was saying as he approached. "We're trying to make a new kind of pizza in our store. It has fried fish on top, but to make fried fish, you have to fry the fish, and I need to know if you would be okay with us putting something like that on the menu, because I know we agreed that I would not sell anything fried so that you could be the main distributor of fried food in town, but in order to make fried fish, we will have to fry the fish."

Mr. Fryman's eyes narrowed, not unkindly, but warily. "Hmmmm...We'll talk about this, Kofi. We'll talk."

"Very well." Kofi then took notice of Mr. Smiley sitting beside the restaurant owner, and finally asked, "What are you two doing out here? I hope you're not loitering. This town already has a littering problem, I don't think we need a loitering problem."

Mr. Smiley shook his head. "Help us all if the loiters start to litter!"

Mr. Fryman pushed himself up off the wall to answer, "Sapphire Crystal-Gem has a job in government now. She's helping us with the problems we've got in town."

Kofi's eyebrows shut up to the line of his hairnet. "Is that so?"

"Yep! Our current target—" Mr. Fryman pointed a scorning finger down to the road. "—is  _that_  pothole."

Kofi looked over it. "Is it really that bad?"

Sapphire pulled herself up out of it to look at him. Yes, the pothole was so deep she'd been fully standing in it the entire time. The opening of it was over her head.

Kofi blinked when Sapphire's blue head peeked out at him. "Oh. I see. Well, if you want, I can get that fixed for you."

"How would you do that?" asked Mr. Smiley.

Kofi waved a dismissive hand. "I know a guy! So what do you say, Miss Crystal-Gem? I'm more than willing to help."

Sapphire set her chin down on the fingers that gripped the edge of the pothole. "Is that so?"

"Yes. But you know, I have a complaint of my own."

Sapphire made a very neutral sound between a hum and a groan.

"We always have things we must throw away at the end of the day," Kofi continued. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of Fish Stew Pizza. "But for a very long time now, we've been having a  _terrible_  raccoon problem. They get into the trash, they tear it up, they make a mess. It's really becoming too much to— _There they are now_!"

Kofi pointed at them with his eyes full of fury. Sure enough, there were three raccoons behind the Fish Stew Pizza building. Two were crawling around the dumpster, rustling through the trash. Another was on the ground, holding open a garbage bag for them to toss the goods into.

"HEY!" Kofi waved his arms at them and came stomping over. "GET OUT OF THERE! GET ON!"

The raccoons jumped and scrambled away, leaving a trail of food scraps behind them. Onion crawled out from beneath the dumpster and followed.

Kofi let out a loud, low groan and readjusted his hair net. He was visibly trying to calm himself down as he came back to the others. "See what I mean? It's going to look bad for the business!"

Mr. Smiley shook his head and tutted, hands on his hips. "So not only do we have a loitering problem, and not only do we have a littering problem, but now we have a looter problem!"

Mr. Fryman's fingers grasped into his hair, pulling at the stiff blond strands. A bead of sweat ran down his temple. "What are we going to do if the looters loiter and start to litter?!"

"Well, we can't just sit here and complain in alliteration," declared Kofi. "I'll help in taking care of this pothole, but _I_  need help in taking care of these pests!"

"Alright-y then!" Mr. Smiley jumped straight up to his feet with a buoyancy that had both Mr. Fryman and Kofi jumping back from him. "So all we just need to fill in this pothole so Mr. Fryman will get his new napkins, then I'll get Sugar Juice back in the machine and Miss Sapphire can get her bench! What say you, Complaint-Responder?"

Sapphire pulled herself up and onto the road. She took a moment to dust the grit and grime off the front of her dress and pulled both hands back to her chest when she was done. She opened her mouth to reply.

The sound of incoming footsteps had her pausing. Then freezing. Then jumping back down into the hole.

The three men blinked down at her, but the newcomer interrupted before they could make a comment. Ruby was approaching, waving to them all in greeting. With every footstep that came closer, Sapphire shrunk down smaller and smaller in her little hiding space. Her small hands covered the crown of her head, as if it would help at all.

"Hello," Ruby greeted them all. Sapphire had to hand it to her that it was a good greeting to humans who she did not commonly associate with, although she sort of bellowed it like 'Hell- _o_!'. "Could any of you point me in the direction of where I may be able to acquire a signal?"

"A signal?" repeated Mr. Fryman.

"Yeah. Greg asked me to get him one on his phone. I keep catching one, but it gets away every time I move!"

Kofi seemed to be the only one who had an idea of what she was trying to say, so he was the only one to speak. "Perhaps if you go somewhere up high."

"Really? Huh." Ruby looked left and right, rubbing at her chin. The tallest building nearest to them was just barely the Funland Arcade.  _However_ , off in the distance, the Beach City water tower loomed high over the north-westernmost corner of the town. The phone in her hand was gripped a little tighter. "Alright, well thank you!"

It was only then that Ruby seemed to notice the little pothole. Sapphire could not see her from how she was hiding, but she could see what she  _could_  do. She could see Ruby just taking  _a few steps closer_ , seeing her, asking her what was up, her being unable to answer, an argument, a fight...

As it was, though, Ruby just whistled. "Deep pothole."

Then she picked up a rock and tossed it in. It landed right down on the top of Sapphire's head.

"Man, I didn't even hear it hit the bottom! Someone needs to fix that." Ruby finally took in a deep breath and curled her shoulders back. "Anyways! Thank you for your help. I'm going to go catch that signal once and for all."

The phone was whipped out as if it were, well, a whip, and as Ruby took off down the road, she jumped up over and over, very frog-like. Every time the little bars on the phone showed so much as one, she would literally try and snatch it from the air.

Once she was gone, Sapphire let out a shuddering sigh of relief and lifted herself upwards once again. Even as she rested her chin on the asphalt of the road, the rock Ruby had thrown down on her stayed balanced on her head. The three men didn't make any comment.

It took almost a full minute for Sapphire to finally ask, "What do I need to do?"

* * *

"We don't have our own pet control?" Mr. Smiley's smile was one of disbelief. While they all kept walking, his hands came to his hips. "I just figured I couldn't find the phone number!"

"Yep," sighed Mr. Fryman. "You know, it only really became a problem back when we had that 'Bear Scare.' But the Universe kid actually gave me some help with that."

Mr. Fryman reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small but full spray bottle labelled, quite simply, 'Bear Repellent.' He offered it to Kofi to look at.

At the front of the group, Sapphire kept her hands to her chest and marched forward. Some small part of her was wondering whether the others were wondering where she was or not. Probably not, for how rare she was home as of late. Or maybe so. Maybe not. Maybe so.

Anything was a possibility, she guessed, but only for a second, because that was for the future, not the present. Then again, maybe not. Then again...When did she become so ponderous? Did something happen to her at some point, or is this just because she's never been in this kind of situation before so her normal state of function is completely out of order? But this wasn't the first time she was in this position. Sort of. Kind of. Maybe. Sort of. Maybe. Probably.

Sapphire did not like this. Sapphire did not like  _being_  like this. This wasn't...her. This was, as Steven would put it, "mad uncomfy". On top of that, she wasn't even sure if this was a reasonable reaction or she was being—

"Miss Sapphire? Where are you going?"

She should have seen this coming, but it still startled her out of her thoughts. Composing herself, she turned. Kofi, Mr. Smiley, and Mr. Fryman had all stopped walking some thirty feet back.

"Have we already arrived?" she called back to them.

"It's on Waterman Street," Kofi called back in answer.

Mr. Fryman added, "You aren't even on the road anymore."

Behind the curtain of her bangs, Sapphire blinked and looked down. Sure enough, another few feet and she would have walked right down a stony slope down to the beach, near the old docks.

She blamed it on the manmade system of naming roads and streets being too confusing and hurried her way back over to the group.

The three men were standing on the steps of a house she had maybe seen before, maybe not, and perhaps it was not good that she'd been living in the town for so long but still didn't know its layout very well. The house was two-story, with dark shingled roofs, a sort of beige-ish color depending on how the light hit it.

Sapphire padded up the brick steps with her little ragtag group of...somethings and walked up onto the welcome mat. The door was mostly glass, as it turned out, and who she assumed to be the owner of the house opened the door before she had even come to a stop.

"Hey there!" It was a man of an age she couldn't quite pin down, balding with wrinkles, but with big round eyes behind square spectacles. He had a blue sweater pulled over him and was holding a mug of something steaming. The mug said 'World's _ Dad', and Sapphire guessed he was the one to write in the 'Cutest!' in the blank. "Saw you coming up the road. What can I help you with?"

Sapphire went ahead and rang the doorbell in ceremonial respect. The man blinked at this, but continued to smile.

Sapphire opened her mouth to explain, but (perhaps thankfully) the others did it for her.

"Good evening, Mister Dante!" Mr. Smiley waved at him, grinning so hard his eyes were closed from his cheeks going up. "You look lovely this morning!"

Dante blushed and tried to cover it with his free hand. "Well thank you. But is something wrong?" He looked at Sapphire once more, and his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Oh no, are we being invaded again?"

"No, no, no," Kofi assured him. "Remember the PSA this morning. It's fine. Just forget about it."

Mr. Fryman explained, "We were hoping you could do something to help us out."

"Well, I don't see why not! Helping out a fellow citizen is always in the Barriga Agenda. What do you need?"

Kofi explained the following in one breath:

"Miss Sapphire here has a new job in government listening to the complaints citizens have sent in. Someone asked for the Buddwick memorial bench to be repaired, but the only person who can help will only do it if Sugar Juice soda is put in the vending machine they frequent. Mr. Smiley can help, but he has a problem regarding litter from Beach Citywalk fries in his amusement park, and would like a solution. Mr. Fryman will replace his napkins with biodegradable ones if the pothole in front of the Dewey Park is fixed. As it is, I know someone who can help fill the pothole in. However, I am having a problem regarding pests near my establishment. I am aware that Missus Martha had a certain 'sway' with animals and I was wondering if perhaps she could help?"

Dante nodded along to this the whole time, to the point where he wasn't stopping and looked maybe a bit too much like a bobblehead in perpetual bobble. But once Kofi was done, he nodded just one last time. "I think we can help. Martha?"

It didn't even take a second for her to appear, a taller woman with a mess of orange hair and big, circular glasses. She was wearing overalls with thin white stripes going down the legs, but her shirt was a plaid button-up with many different bright colors, from green to orange to fuchsia.

She also smiled as soon as she saw everyone on the doorstep. "Well, hey there! What do we owe this visit to today?"

Dante explained, "Miss Sapphire here has a new job in—"

Sapphire just tuned the rest out. She counted up to thirty-two before it was over.

Martha answered almost before her husband had finished talking. "That sounds perfectly reasonable to me! Let me go get my equipment."

From somewhere upstairs, a voice called down, "Mooooom! Is it Sadie?"

"No," Martha called back.

"Who is it?"

"Why don't you come see for yourself?"

The voice, whoever it was though it sounded familiar, replied with an overly-dramatic groan. But seeing as Martha made the same sound back, Sapphire took is as a joke.

Martha turned and disappeared behind the doorway. As her footsteps faded away, Mr. Fryman smiled a very satisfied smile and declared, "You're already doing fantastic on your first day, Miss Sapphire!"

In the moment, Sapphire wasn't sure how she was going to respond—"Am I?", "Thank you", "I'm glad  _you're_  having fun"—but it was just that. A moment.

Because then Martha's footsteps paused, then came right back. With one hand on the door, her eyebrows pulled together in a little curious expression, she asked, "Did you say you were taking care of public complaints?"

Kofi, Mr. Smiley, and Mr. Fryman all replied at once. "Yes."

Martha perked up at this, and returned to Dante's side. With one arm wrapped around her shorter husband's shoulders, she all but declared, "Well, wouldn't you know it? We're having a problem ourselves. You see, we

**Sapphire guessed at this point that she could have or should have seen this coming at this point. She could have used her future vision to guess that this was probably going to keep on happening. As it was, however, it seemed like a waste of her power. And, even if she could spare herself the...un-surprise of encountering this at every leg in the journey, it wasn't like she'd be able to do anything about it. So she just listened along.**

have a complaint in there, too. Do you have it?"

Sapphire had the paper ready before she was even done.

"Great! Well, we're hoping it isn't too much to ask, but do you think we could get some help, too?"

Dante let out a sigh. "It's such a relief that someone's finally doing something about what the people say. I was worried we would have better luck throwing our letters in the garbage than sending them to Mayor Dewey." He took a deep swig from his mug.

Mr. Smiley laughed aloud and clapped a hand down on Sapphire's shoulder. If she had been made of weaker stuff, Sapphire might have actually flinched under the force of it. "Well, there you go, Miss Sapphire! This is a great first day for you, huh?"

Sapphire ignored him in favor of asking Dante and Martha, "What do you need?"

* * *

Dante and Martha Barriga had to lead Sapphire to the problem for her to truly see the importance of it, apparently. But it was a good ways away, a bit too far to just hoof to, so the Barrigas oh-so-generously offered to give everyone a ride over. Thus, Sapphire found herself with Kofi, Mr. Smiley, Mr. Fryman, and Martha and Dante Barriga in their family van, taking the five-minute trip to their destination. Or, at least, the others were in the family van. Sapphire took a seat on the roof.

Once the car was parked, the Barrigas led them on a short walk to the docks. As ever, there were only a few boats, none very big, drifting in the water.

In the Barrigas' defense, Sapphire understood why the problem was best emphasized in person.

She just wished she didn't.

It seemed to hit everyone in just one second. A stench so powerful and nauseating, all six of them clamped their hands over their noses on sheer instinct. Mr. Smiley just went ahead and stopped smiling; there was really no use trying to keep it up anymore. Mr. Fryman tugged the neck of his shirt up over his nose as a makeshift mask. Kofi batted at the air in a futile attempt to get the odor away from him.

"It's better if you breathe through your mouth," Dante told them. But not a second later, he was coughing a fit and wheezing, "No! No, it's not! I was wrong! _I_   _can taste it!"_

While keeping her nostrils pinched together, Martha pointed to the source of the awful stench. It was a boat at the end of one of the piers. A fishing boat, but it was a small thing. It only had a little roofed booth for actually steering the boat.

Sapphire recognized it at once. It was the same boat she and the others had used to get to Lapis Lazuli when she was stealing the ocean. And even though that certainly wasn't a  _good_  day, thinking back to the end of it all—where they were all hugging each other and celebrating, wiping the sweat off their brow, thinking that all they would have to worry about the next day was what they would have for lunch—she found herself wanting to go back.

"Dante and I used to come here for our morning walks," Martha explained. With her nostrils shut tight, her voice sounded a touch honky. "But this boat has been smelling like this for almost half a year! We thought it'd be taken care of quickly."

"Isn't this awful?" wheezed Dante.

"Yes," Sapphire agreed.

While keeping his mouth and nose covered, Kofi looked down at Sapphire and frowned. "Do you have a nose, Miss Sapphire?"

"That's a personal question."

"So," honked Martha, "Do you think you can take care of this? I know it might not seem like anything, but it's such a bother, and we were just hoping..."

"I'll do it," Sapphire replied. She, too, tried to wave the odor away from her.

Mr. Smiley tried to put his hands on his hips in a victorious stance, but he couldn't. Still, he at least tried to speak with his nose still covered by his hand. "Great! So now Miss Sapphire just needs to get rid of this smell so Mrs. Barriga can get rid of the raccoons in Mr. Kofi's trash, and then—Oh, look! An approacher is approaching!"

And so he was. And it was Yellowtail himself. Judging by the slightly-greasy baggy he was holding in his hand, he was coming back from a lunch break.

When he saw the group, he waved, but said nothing. In fact, it seemed that he would have walked right on past them if Dante hadn't spoken up with a quick, "Excuse me!"

"Good morning," Mr. Fryman quickly followed. "Do you have a minute?"

Yellowtail nodded and turned to them with his full attention.

Sapphire didn't know why silence followed until Kofi was pushing her forward. Looking up at Yellowtail, she paused. A quick glimpse in the future said that this could go many ways. Yellowtail was not likely to be offended. In most futures, he would be understanding. A few escalated a bit too far in the opposite direction, a full-on argument that ended up grinding progress to a halt. And of course, there were quite a few of those oddball futures, those "and then the pier broke and they all went in the water" things that she always had to pick out.

So finally, Sapphire told him, "Mema mem memamam memen mamen ma."

Yellowtail seemed a bit taken aback at this. Still, he didn't seem angry at all when he replied, "Mema?"

"Meman," Sapphire confirmed. "Mema mema men man memememe mame mamenam menem mamen amen emameeme men. Mame me ma ena ema eane ma enae eam enama mema eme?"

Yellowtail nodded. "Me meam eme ma eme amem ea e amea me ame am me ame am ame men."

"Ma me am e ama emam. Mema."

"Mena!"

Sapphire finished it with a respectful curtsy, which Yellowtail returned, using a handful of his raincoat to do so. It took a second for Sapphire to realize that the others were watching them, a bit bemused. It took her another second to recall that Yellowtail's language wasn't very well-known among Beach City.

Thus, she explained, "Yellowtail would like to say that he's sorry for the disturbance. He believes he's gotten used to the smell and was unable to tell it was there. He was wondering what his wife was talking about when she complained of his stench whenever he came home, however. In any case, he is willing to take whatever measures needed to get rid of the odor."

None of the humans made any comment on her knowing the fisherman's language, marking it off as just a typical alien thing. However, Kofi did ask, "Does he need something done in turn?"

"Of course he does," Sapphire answered.

Yellowtail offered his explanation. Sapphire listened to it attentively, and was a bit surprised to hear what he had to say. It was actually a bit touching and a bit sad, the story of how his cousin had just become a father, that the two of them had had a falling out a long while back. Yellowtail told them of the fight—without going into detail, it involved a woman by the name of Moray and something about her divided them—and how he was surprised to find a letter from his cousin after so many years of bitterness between them. Yellowtail wanted so very desperately to reply to his long-lost family, but his home had very specific mailing requirements. One of them was a certain stamp that had to be on anything sent, one that he could not find anywhere in Beach City. He could have ordered one online, but they were either very expensive or of questionable legitimacy.

This explanation went on for several minutes, during which the citizens heavily side-eyed Sapphire and waited for her to translate. She decided to just sum it up in, "He needs a certain stamp that he can't find in Beach City."

Mr. Fryman hummed. "How long ago did you send the complaint?"

Yellowtail responded that his letter was probably the most recent of the complaints, but he felt that it had a much greater ratio of importance-to-time. After all, with his cousin sending him news of his child's birth, Yellowtail might seem as though he was holding on to past grudges if it took until the girl's first birthday to respond.

Sapphire translated, "About two weeks."

"That's awful," exclaimed Dante.

Kofi tutted and shook his head. "I can't believe the mayor is taking so long to do the things he's supposed to do. Why even have a complaint box if you aren't going to do anything about it?"

"Good PR," said Mr. Smiley. No one could tell if he sounded impressed or just stating a simple fact. "Haven't any of you noticed that ever since he put in that fancy techno system that would change the state of the atmosphere so that we would have more cloudless days, nothing's actually changed?"

Mr. Fryman sniffed. "I never agreed to that."

"I thought he only went through with that because someone kept begging him for it?" Kofi shrugged. "I don't even know who it was that wanted it so badly!"

Martha took her husband's mug to take a deep chug of it.

Mr. Smiley rolled his shoulders back and put on a happy smile once again. With one hand on his nose and the other pointed up at the sky, he declared, "So now all we have to do is get Mr. Yellowtail a stamp so that he can send a letter! Then he'll get rid of the smell of his boat, and Mr. and Mrs. Barriga can get rid of the raccoons at Mr. Kofi's restaurant, and Mr. Kofi will get someone to fill the pothole on the street, and Mr. Fryman will get new napkins to help with my litter problem, and I'll get Sugar Juice back in the vending machine so that Miss Sapphire can get her bench for the park!"

Dante clapped his hands together. "Let's do it! Everyone, to the Barriga-mobile!"

Then another wave of the odor struck down upon all of them. Dante all but screamed, and the seven of them dashed for the van in a panicked stampede, while Mr. Fryman cried, "I can't escape it!"

* * *

The Beach City Post Office was a very small building in the middle of town, and it employed two people: A woman by the name of Barbara Miller, and a young man by the name of Jamie. Sapphire had hoped that it would have been Barbara that would be awaiting them when they all arrived.

Sapphire's hopes were dashed the second they walked in.

"I can't believe this!" Jamie was so overwhelmed by the (small) stack of letters on the counter that he had the back of his wrist against his forehead. "To think that this is the state of the town we call home!"

"Do you understand why this is so important?" asked Kofi.

"Of course I do!" Jamie hung his head low. "I've been saying it for years: Beach City is a town with many problems, but it's the people that make it worth staying in."

"That sounds familiar," said Mr. Fryman.

"When there was a vote for what the motto for Beach City was going to be, that was the one I wrote in. It was denied because it was 'too long and a backhanded compliment.' My other one was 'Beach City: where dreams become reality, even the bad ones.'"

Yellowtail stepped forward and said something, but it being in his language, Jamie couldn't translate. Still, he took a guess by the fisherman's tone.

"We certainly don't have any stamps from or for that part of the world," he answered apologetically. To demonstrate, he went to a box set against the far wall and reached in. He pulled out several rolls of all the stamps they had to offer. There wasn't much variety. "I don't think we've ever  _had_  someone trying to send a letter out of the country before." Jamie paused. "Except for that Onion child. He sent some kind of tube to Kyrgyzstan a while back."

Martha was drumming her fingers on the countertop and hummed. "What will it take to get one?"

"Well, let's see..." Jamie stroked his chin in a way that was much too theatrical to be out of habit. Or not. Probably not. "To get an official roll of stamps for here, I would have to send a strongly-worded letter to the National Stamp Association. They would get back to me in three to five business days. That is, assuming, that they don't realize that I'm the one who's been sending strongly-worded letters asking them to please change the image of the national stamp into something a little more visually appealing. In which case, they might go through with that cease-and-desist they were talking about in the last letter, though perhaps I could—"

"You  _can_  do it, right?" Kofi cut him off.

"Oh, certainly. And may I just say, Miss Sapphire, that what you are doing for this town is something to admire. It's about time someone like you stepped up and took action to right the wrongs. It's very noble of you!"

When Sapphire had come in, she'd found the little slot in the far wall that deposited stamps when one put quarters in. She thought it was neat. She'd been putting coins in for the past several minutes. A pile was collecting on the floor.

So all she could respond with was an uncharacteristically dumb, "Huh?"

"But!" Jamie intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them. The other adults in the room shared an uneasy look, unsure if the mailman was trying to look persuasive or seductive. He was failing either way. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but I have a complaint I have made myself. Seeing as you're being so kind to help these other citizens, perhaps you could help me as well?"

Another quarter. More stamps.

"Thank you! Now, my complaint is something that I'm just going to have to take you to fully understand the problematicness of it!"

Jamie hopped the counter with surprising elegance, but the Barrigas paused. Casting his wife an uneasy glance, Dante spoke up. "I don't think the Barriga-mobile can carry this many people."

"No worries," cried the mailman. "We will take the Mailmobile!"

* * *

The Mailmobile was just the mail van, unsurprisingly. And no, it was not that comfortable of a ride.

Jamie and Mr. Smiley got to ride up front. Everyone else was confined to the back, crammed in with all the letters and packages. Sapphire had perched herself on a FRAGILE-stamped box in a very queenly manner. Kofi and Mr. Smiley were knee-to-knee on the floor. Martha was leaning back a bit precariously against the back doors. Dante had taken the last available seat: wedged between a stack of packages and the roof of the van, laying on his side. He looked sad.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Smiley asked Jamie. "I really wouldn't mind."

Jamie shook his head and continued to drive. From the passenger seat. Mr. Smiley shirked back from his outstretched arm as they took a turn. "A truly dedicated mailman can never be too trained to do his part."

In the back, Sapphire noticed a little package by her feet and lifted it up, curious. It was addressed to Suitcase Sam. It looked like it was a suitcase.

Mr. Fryman noticed her looking and picked up a little stack of letters beside him. Though he didn't dare open them, he did flip through them one-by-one with curious glances. When nothing of interest turned up, he turned his attention to a magazine wedged under his foot.

"Huh," he said aloud, "Someone's monthly subscription for  _Feet Health_  magazine came in." He read the little subtitle under his breath. "Corns and Fifty Ways to Get Rid of Them."

Kofi snatched it out of his grasp. "Mind your business!"

"We're here," declared Jamie. The leg that stretched over Mr. Smiley's pressed a little too hard on the brakes. Everyone in the van was pushed forward before settling back. "Please refrain from damaging or stealing anything as you exit the vehicle, please!"

Kofi was the only one who went against that request, stuffing the magazine in his back pocket. Then again, maybe not. In any case, everyone climbed out of the van one-by-one. Sapphire drifted down to the ground when she was offered a hand.

Sapphire didn't know what the building ahead of them was. It wasn't exactly huge, but it was two-storied, with a little balcony that started on the right side and an overhang on the first story that was lined with fairy lights. Certainly not a house. On the other side of it lied the ocean, and on it a long pier. What surprised Sapphire was that when she looked to the right, she saw the Funland amusement park not that far away at all. She would have thought she'd notice this place sooner.

Once he was out of the vehicle and standing beside her, Kofi looked to the large sign held up on the building. The giant cartoonish crab took up so much room from the letters that Kofi read aloud, "Crab the Shack?"

"The Crab Shack," Mr. Fryman corrected. "So it's a restaurant?"

Mr. Smiley side-eyed them both. "It's been here for years."

"Follow me," Jamie told them all. He dashed forward with much too much speed for the situation. Of course, none of them were willing to match his energy. He didn't seem amused by the fact.

Jamie led them to the back of the building. There was a deck with a single table and some chairs, probably for special reservations, and the deck led straight into the pier. The others were at a loss for just what the problem was until Jamie finally stopped right when the ocean waves were right at the toes of his sneakers. He pointed out at the pier with much vigor.

"See that boat?" he all but demanded of the rest of them. The boat in question wasn't that big at all, just a little thing with a red overhang. The only thing keeping it from drifting away was a single rope tied to a post. "Every day, I walk the length of the shore to collect my thoughts and write poetry—"

"That's nice," said Martha.

"—Thank you. But these boats are absolutely disruptive. Troublesome to an ungodly degree! A blight on the peaceful horizon! They exhaust smog as dark as storm clouds, they thunder with such volume that the most tranquil being on the planet could not find peace of mind with its cacophony!"

"He does have a way with words," Mr. Smiley told Yellowtail through the corner of his mouth. The fisherman hummed in agreement.

"Look, there's one now!"

The rest of them heard it before they truly saw it. As superfluous as Jamie's description sounded, it was not very far-off from the truth. Even with the boat as far away as it was, the sound coming from its engine was nothing short of awful. It was sputtering, grinding, and growling all at once, as if it was in a perpetual state of about-to-explode. The exhaust wasn't exactly pleasing, either. None of them had ever seen a boat let out such a dark cloud. It honestly looked like the boat could have been on fire. It was a wonder the people aboard could even stand it.

Yellowtail was affronted when he saw this, and passionately declared that whoever was manning the boats were either amateurs or idiots. How long would they have to stay still for the fish to come back after being scared off by that sound? That smoke could poison the catch, everything would taste acidic!

It still sounded like a very long stream of "mema", however. Still, Sapphire gave him a single pat on the arm to validate him.

Jamie let out a sigh that was more of a growl and turned back to them, pulling his hat down hard. "Now, regardless of whether or not anyone likes this establishment or has left strongly-worded reviews on their website or not, I think we can all agree that nothing about those things is aesthetically pleasing."

Kofi folded his arms over his chest. "How long ago did you send your letter in?"

"A year ago! Then nine months ago. Then eight months, then seven and a half, then twice six months ago, then three times five months ago, then I took a break because I caught strep throat and was down for a while, then again three months ago, and four more times since then!"

Almost in perfect unison, they all blinked at him once and turned to Sapphire. She already had the fourteen letters in hand.

Mr. Fryman clicked his tongue. "You sound a  _little_ desperate."

"But your penmanship is incredible!" Dante took the letters to admire the sweeping letters on them, so elegant they could have been printed. "Did you write this with a quill and ink?"

Jamie preened. "Why, yes I did! My grandmother sent me a set for my birthday."

"Then it's settled," said Mr. Smiley. "All Miss Sapphire has to do is get the Crab Shack to change its boats. Then Jamie can get Mister Yellowtail his stamp so he can send his letter, and Yellowtail will—"

"Yes, Harold!" Kofi cut him off. "We get it."

The back door of the Crab Shack swung open, breaking the scene. But instead of an employee, it was a familiar old woman. So familiar, in fact, that Kofi's eyebrows all but shot up underneath the line of his hairnet.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

Nanefua harrumphed at her son and put her fists on her hips. The door swung shut behind her. "What do you think I'm doing here? Dancing?"

The surprise on Kofi's face twisted into anger, and he pointed an accusatory finger at his mother. "We agreed not to eat in any restaurant in this town except our own!"

"Don't you point at me! I didn't agree to anything. I raised you, you know! I don't need your permission to do as I please. And thank you for leaving without an explanation!"

Kofi deflated under Nanefua's glare. All anger faded into sheepishness, and the pointing finger fell to his side in defeat. "I thought you guys would have it under control…"

"You could have at least said where you were going. Which reminds me of why I came out here." Nanefua looked at all of them in turn, a little stern, but mostly curious. "What are you all doing out here? Is this a new gang? Why wasn't I asked to join?"

"Well," began Mr. Smiley, "You see, Miss Pizza, we—"

"Ah, ah, ah! Hold on now." Nanefua waved at him, but then she was smiling in that warm way that only a grandmother could. She waved them all forward. "You can all tell me over a meal. Come on in and have a seat! It's on me."

The reaction was not exactly unanimous. Kofi piped up that he was not going to give money to competition, Yellowtail mumbled that he doubted the place's food was good with their practices, Mr. Fryman ducked his head and admitted that seafood wasn't one of his favorites. Mr. Smiley was the only one who agreed (though he did so with much gratitude), as the Barrigas and Jamie insisted that Nanefua didn't need to do that, but it was awfully sweet of her.

Sapphire, meanwhile, had just been thinking about whether or not she wanted to use her future vision to see how this was going to go or not. Just when she'd settled that no, she didn't need to, movement on the other side of the restaurant caught her eye. She saw that it was the Cool Kids, but instead of the usual three, it was now four.

Sapphire blanched despite herself. Jamie was the only one to notice, and leaned down to ask her, "Is everything okay?"

In response, Sapphire grabbed a handful of Jamie's shirt and a handful of Kofi's. The sound alone of her usually-quiet voice barking out was enough to silence the others in an instant.

"We should be grateful," she told them all. Heck, she sounded strange to her own non-existent ears talking as loudly as she did. "Into the Crab House, the lot of you!"

* * *

The inside of the Crab Shack was actually pretty nice, probably the most high-end of the Beach City restaurants. The floors were made of slick green tile, the walls of glossy wood panels. The lights were warm, the tables and chairs clean. The only real downside was the somewhat tacky decorations on the walls that ranged from taxidermied cow heads to many, many singing bass.

Not that Sapphire was particularly mindful of the décor, however. Of all the places to be seated, the waiter, Ricky, just  _had_ to put them in front of the back window overlooking the deck. Even now, if she craned her neck and looked through the front door just so, she could see a glimpse of the Pizzas' Jeep, still patterned in pepperonis and mushrooms.

"Miss Sapphire?" Mr. Smiley leaned back in his seat to look down at her. "What do you want?"

Sapphire didn't dare stand up to answer him. While all the other citizens were sitting in their seats like, well,  _normal people,_ Sapphire was sitting half-underneath the table with her back to the wall. The window was just above her head.

Without thinking, she replied, "Whatever you suggest."

"Oh, oh! Allow me." Jamie folded up his menu, flourished more than handed it to Ricky, and cleared his throat to declare, "She and I will both have your finest soup, please. Freshly ground pepper, low-sodium fish stock, cream that is not  _too_ heavy, the freshest crab you have, and the most garlicky of garlic."

Ricky hummed and tapped his pen against his cheek. "The bisque, then?"

Jamie clicked his tongue. "You read my mind, Ricky."

Once everyone else had placed their orders and Ricky had left, Sapphire at last took a glance. The Cool Kids and Opal were all at the end of the pier. As Sapphire watched, Opal's bow appeared in her hands, and without much effort, the fusion summoned a stable but not very powerful arrow. Sour Cream tied something just past the head, and Buck set something aflame with a pocket lighter. The teenagers quickly stepped back so Opal could let the arrow fly.

It traveled up and up, higher and higher, until finally the arrow dissipated and there was a small burst of smoke. From her distance, Sapphire could just barely see a little white parachute with what could have been a little toy figurine hanging from it. In any case, the teens all cheered, and Jenny gave Opal a praising clap on the leg.

Then they had all turned around before she'd even realized it. Again Sapphire ducked down, wishing she could just shrink and shrink and disappear.

Her behavior did not go unnoticed, of course. As she nibbled on some cheesy garlic bread, Martha asked, "Is everything okay, Miss Sapphire?"

"She's fine," Nanefua answered for her. But Sapphire was not expecting her to add, "She's hiding from her tall purple friend."

Of course, they all turned to look out the window. With just that one thing done, the Cool Kids and Opal were already on their way back. Sour Cream was apparently trying to prove that he could walk backwards without looking back. They were all laughing along until he very nearly toppled off into the water; then Buck practically threw him closer to the middle, and Opal refused to take her hand off his head until they were back in the car.

Kofi sat up straight and exclaimed, "What is Jenny doing out there? She should be at the restaurant with Kiki!"

"Give Kiki more credit," Nanefua tutted. "If you want to be mad, do it later. This is supposed to be a meal to celebrate our new government helper. Toast!"

They all complied and lifted their glasses. Though a chorus of "Toast!" went up around the table, Sapphire just busied herself with getting settled in her seat. Opal was gone now, but Sapphire's nerves were still going.

"I would just like to say that I am very grateful for you," Nanefua told her. "It's about time someone did something in this town." Nanefua paused here, considering, but then she steeled herself and declared, "You know what? I'm just going to go ahead and say what I've been saying to myself in the mirror for the past who-knows-how-long now: Mayor Dewey needs to do a better job."

Instead of scandalized gasps or outbursts of anger, an agreeing murmur went through the table. No one so much as raised their voice in opposition.

"I'm happy he and the Crystal Gems have that new system going," said Mr. Smiley. He twirled his water around in his glass. "But that speech he gave was just plain fake. Not a word felt natural."

Mr. Fryman shook his head. "Sometimes I get the feeling that he only likes doing whatever does him best. He didn't say a word when it was Buddy Buddwick Memorial Day at the library, but an extra fifty bucks to that Dewey Memorial Statue and it manages to hit the front page!"

Dante seemed determined not to be too negative, but he added, "He wasn't very composed when we all had to leave, either. I can't blame him for not being chipper, exactly, but I had questions that needed answers."

Kofi shook his head. "The worst thing he's ever done was getting rid of security cameras! That one incident with the bakery and the whaler happens in Keystone, and suddenly  _we_ have to 'consider situations like that'? I honestly don't care if a thief feels like their privacy is being invaded. I want my girls to be safe!"

"At least nothing bad has happened so far?" offered Martha.

Kofi harrumphed. "Still."

Yellowtail cut in to say that he has been in this town for a very long time, and in all his years he felt that Bill Dewey carried on his father's legacy well. But as of recent, it seems that that legacy matters more to Dewey than the town itself. As if he turns a blind eye to the concerns and safety of his citizens in favor of the pretty history of his family name. Yellowtail wasn't even angry, really—he just wondered, if 'Dewey' wasn't the mayor's surname, would he have even run for mayor to begin with?

And  _still_ no one could understand him. But Jamie at least gave him a hand on his shoulder and a "Well said."

"Everyone, please." Nanefua raised her hands to quiet the chatter. "Sapphire is sitting right here, we don't need to badmouth her boss right in front of her. Beach City could be a lot worse, you know."

Mr. Fryman sniffed. "It could be a lot  _better._ "

"But it could be a lot worse. I believe we all have our frustrations, but we've survived a lot, haven't we? For everything that has happened to this little town, we're still here. I'm not sure if just anyone could run for mayor here. We have some pretty unique problems. At the very least, Mayor Dewey asked for someone who could answer our complaints, even if he couldn't."

That seemed to get everyone at the very least settled. Not exactly beaming, but satisfied. Ricky soon returned with the bowls of bisque. Jamie took his and spent several seconds just breathing in the aroma. Sapphire was handed hers and was reminded that eating wasn't exactly one of her hobbies, even though it looked good.

"What did they say?" asked Mr. Smiley.

Ricky clasped his hands together. "My boss says that she is more than willing to do something about the state of our boats."

There was a unanimous sigh of relief. From Jamie, especially. His went on for almost twenty seconds.

"However," said Ricky, "She sent in a complaint not too long ago about the cost of milk in the grocery store, and was wondering if something could be done—"

Sapphire stood to her feet.

"I quit."

She didn't wait for anyone to say anything. Without a word, she walked past the table, out the back door, across the deck, all the way down the pier, and finally fell into the water with a distant splash.

The citizens watched her go, unsure of what to do or say. Ricky looked down at the bisque and frowned. "Was it the soup?"

* * *

 _Well,_ mused Sapphire,  _that didn't work out._

She didn't know what she was expecting. Really, she didn't, even when she'd asked for the job to begin with. This was on her. She should've guessed that this wasn't going to work out at all.

Still, maybe she could try for somewhere else. The Pizzas might need someone to help them around the restaurant. Surely there had to be some store in the town that could use a helping hand. She could even ask Greg if he wanted an assistant car-washer.

Sapphire propped her chin in her hand. If this was just how it was when it came to jobs, maybe she needed to think a little bigger. Maybe she didn't even need to get one in Beach City. Ocean Town might have some open positions. Empire City. Another country.

"Sapphire?"

Sapphire looked up at the call of her name. Above her, she could see Nanefua's image, distorted through the water.

With a little sigh that sent up some bubbles, Sapphire pushed herself up. She swam until her head broke the surface of the water. The sound of the ocean waves and the salty wind came back all at once; her wet hair was almost chilled by the breeze.

Nanefua hummed from the pier. "Thought you might still be here. You left without eating; I brought you a lobster."

She just held it out to the Gem by the tail, its head and claws still attached, bright red and hot. Not wanting to be rude, Sapphire took it from her.

"Thank you."

"I hope you don't mind me asking…" Nanefua bent down to sit on the edge so her little legs could dangle over the water. "But is something wrong?"

"I don't think this job is for me. That's all."

"But why is that? Is it because your other job is already so tiring? You know, I was there when that squid attacked the town all those years ago. You chased that thing around for hours, I thought you'd faint."

Sapphire thought back to that day. Steven had still been pretty young, how many years ago was it? "Were you the one that punched it in its eye?"

Nanefua laughed and held up a fist. "The older I grow, the stronger I become! But really. What is the matter?"

Sapphire considered her words. "I suppose I just didn't think it would involve so much…"

"Complaining?" Nanefua offered. She didn't seem upset by the Gem's words. "That's one way to look at it. For me, I think it's a wonderful opportunity to help others. I find a lot of satisfaction in making others happy. But you do that every day, don't you? Perhaps you wanted something new."

Sapphire decided to keep the conversation going, if only because Nanefua was so good at it. "Why didn't you apply for the job?"

"I was going to. Some blue lady from outer space took it before I had the chance."

"Oh."

"Now let me ask you this: are you just looking for a job so you could avoid your friends?"

Sapphire was startled. Nanefua couldn't see it, but her single eye blinked.

"Kofi told me you hid from your red friend earlier today," Nanefua explained. "And you did the same thing with your other friend just now. So tell me—are you fighting? Are the Crystal Gems splitting up? Who gets custody of the boy?"

"No," Sapphire cut her off. "It's…It's a bit of a long story."

"I'm willing to listen if you're willing to tell."

Sapphire paused for a long moment. She didn't think she'd be telling this to a human she'd only seen a few times in passing. Then again, perhaps Nanefua's outlook took worth from that. Nanefua didn't have any bond with any of the Crystal Gems, so her opinion on the matter wouldn't be influenced by emotions or such. Still, it was a lot to explain.

So Sapphire began, "I have the power to see into the future."

Nanefua nodded. "Okay."

"But the future isn't always concrete."

"Okay."

"There are always dozens of possible outcomes."

"Okay."

"Some are more likely than others, but everything is a possibility."

"Okay."

"Some are only different because of very minute details."

"Okay."

"So most of the time, to see a possible outcome, I have to ask very specific questions."

"Okay."

"But everyone can choose their own future. It's always up to what you choose."

"Okay."

"Even so, I think this power is a responsibility of mine. That even if everyone can choose their future, it's up to me to guide them to some degree."

"Okay."

"Something happened between Opal and Ruby. That is, Ruby did something to Opal that upset her. Very much so."

"Okay."

"I could have looked into the future to see if it could happen. I should have, but I didn't. If I did, I could have prevented it from happening in the first place."

"Okay."

"So I believe that, to a certain degree, what happened was my fault. Ruby wouldn't have been able to do what she did if I hadn't created the situation to begin with."

"Okay. Huh. Well. It sounds like you're blaming yourself for something that another person did."

"It's more than that." Just to have something to do, Sapphire took a bite of lobster, shell and all. "I could foresee a future where Ruby decides to…let's say, do something on a bicycle. But she fails, and she gets hurt.  _Ruby_ would choose to do it, but  _I_ could tell her what would happen if she did. Do I not have a responsibility to keep my friends from hurting themselves and others?"

Nanefua reached down to pat the top of Sapphire's hair. The Gem sighed and took another bite of lobster. "I see where you're coming from. But what you're doing to yourself sounds dangerous. You're going to worry yourself sick thinking you have to take care of everyone and everything."

"I worry because I have no choice. Ever since Homeworld's decided to come back, I've had to consider everything that could go wrong. And sometimes everything  _does_ go wrong and I still feel that I'm at fault for it."

"Hmmm…You said you have to ask questions sometimes."

"Yes."

"Let's say I had your power and I wanted to see what could happen in the next ten minutes. What would I see?"

"Dozens of possibilities. Hundreds, even."

"Now let's say I wanted to know what would happen if I stood up and screamed, 'Yahoo!' while hopping on one leg and patting my belly. What would I see?"

Sapphire thought about it. "Not even five, probably."

"Thought so. So here's my problem with your line of thinking, Sapphire. You say that you could have seen the future where Ruby hurt Opal. But in order to see that future, how many questions would you have had to ask? You couldn't know what exact words they could say to lead to the outcome. You couldn't read their mind and tell what would upset them and what would calm them down. Did it even occur to you that such a thing could happen in the first place?"

"Anything is possible."

"I'm sure that's true, but would you ask to know what would happen if I threw a rock at a bird, and that bird fell to the water and was eaten by a shark, and the fisherman found that shark, and brought that shark home to eat, and when they were preparing the shark, they found that rock in its belly? Of course you wouldn't. It would never even occur to you to think of such a thing."

Sapphire didn't know what to say. Nanefua made it sound so simple, but it couldn't possibly be, could it?

"Listen," Nanefua continued, "You may know more about the future than I do, but even a little old woman like me knows that not even a magical alien like yourself could possibly predict every single thing that could ever happen. You have a wonderful gift, Sapphire. Don't let it become a burden."

Nanefua held out a hand to her. Sapphire took it, but floated up to stand beside Nanefua on the pier rather than let her pull her up. Nanefua was watching her, wanting her to say something, but it took Sapphire a minute. She wanted to say that she felt better, but it was hard. She really, truly could not believe that the fact she'd come to carry on her shoulders like a weight—that she would always be responsible, always be at fault for anything that went wrong, even just a little bit—could just disappear like that.

So even though she could not jump for joy, she did a little respectful bow to Nanefua and told her, "Thank you. You…raise very good points."

"So I've been told. Now eat your lobster and let's go back inside." While Sapphire obediently took another crunchy bite, Nanefua set a hand on her back and led her back down the pier. "I think I can talk some sense into the owner. We've got to put a stop to all this bargaining."

* * *

Nanefua turned out to be a lot better at Sapphire's job than Sapphire was.

It was Nanefua who explained to the owner of the Crab Shack that the grocery store with that overpriced milk was a private establishment. It was up to them how much they sold things for, and if he had a problem with it, he would have to take it up with them. In the meantime, he really should do something about the boats. It wasn't just bothering other people—with some backup from Yellowtail, Nanefua told the owner that it made fishing more difficult for him because all the noise scared the fish off before they could be caught.

The owner agreed to this, and promised that the boats would be taken care of soon. Jamie was joyous, of course, and made his gratefulness to Nanefua and Sapphire known in an eloquent speech that they realized later was a limerick. Jamie penned (or quilled, rather) a letter to the Stamp Association asking for the special stamps. Sapphire gave him the details of what to write for Yellowtail's case. The fisherman was anxious on whether the letter would be enough, but Sapphire assured him that the stamps would most likely be sent (without going into detail about why she was almost positive about that.)

Yellowtail declared that he would get rid of the downright ungodly odor of his boat. With a quick stop into a store, he bought what could have been gallons of lemon-scented cleaner. He was driven to his boat so he could drop them off. His plan was to douse the whole boat until it smelled as fresh as could be.

Naturally, the Barrigas were very happy to hear this, and went on to take care of Kofi's raccoon problem. How this worked, exactly, not everyone was too sure of. Martha's "kit" had many rolled-up paper tubes inside, like fast-food. They all smelled suspiciously cat-food-like, but she couldn't share her secret. Back at the restaurant, the rest of them stood back and watched her work her magic. Martha approached the raccoons around the dumpster, and just when they were about to take off, she crouched down and offered the rolls to them. Once they were all around, she said something to them that no one could quite make out. Whatever it was, the raccoons all nodded in agreement, and crept away with a sense of finality, rolls between their teeth. Onion only left when he got two.

Kofi immediately called up "the guy he knew" to take care of the pothole, and declared that he would be there in an hour's time. Helping Mr. Fryman order biodegradable napkins online was a group effort, but finally the deed was done. Then it was Mr. Smiley's turn, but the only thing he could do for the time being was sign an agreement (i.e. a napkin) saying his contract with the drink providers would be changed so that Sugar Juice could get back in that one machine.

Which brought them to the final leg in the game.

"Well," said the worker of the T-shirt shop, "that took a lot longer than I thought it would. You've been gone all day."

"Sugar Juice will be back in the vending machine," Sapphire told him. "Can I have the bench now?"

"You  _can…"_ Sapphire very much did not like the almost-smile that came to the worker's face. "But you know, I  _also_ sent in a complaint about—"

Mr. Smiley's growl cut him off short. Mr. Fryman punched his fist into his open palm. Kofi glared the worker down with the heat of fire. The Barrigas both took a step closer in warning. Yellowtail brandished his hat as a weapon. Jamie raised the sharp end of his quill. Nanefua appeared behind him out of nowhere.

The worker swallowed hard. Nanefua leaned on him. "O-on second thought, let me take care of that right away…"

So  _that_ "guy-that-he-knew"  _also_ came within the hour, but by then, almost everyone had dissipated. The business owners went back to their establishments, Yellowtail went to take care of his boat, the Barrigas went back home, and Jamie drove off in the mail van with one last farewell. Nanefua insisted on staying with Sapphire.

The bench turned out better than either of them had hoped. The wood was glossy, the cast iron strong. They were assured that the bench would hold up for a long, long time. On top of this, the plaque was replaced, and Buddy Buddwick's name was clear as day once more, gilded on the back of the bench.

Sapphire and Nanefua both crossed their arms as they admired it.

"Thank you," Nanefua told her. "I thought that old monstrosity would be stuck here forever."

Sapphire turned to her. "That was your letter?"

"Yep! That thing used to haunt my nightmares." Nanefua patted a hand between Sapphire's shoulders, almost combing her long hair. "You've done very well, Sapphire."

"Thank you, but I believe this journey ends here. You can apply if you still wish to."

"Well, thank you very much. I hope everything works out between you and your friends, and remember—don't put so much weight on yourself."

"I won't. Thank you again."

"But you know…" Nanefua leaned in close and winked. "You should consider running for office someday."

"No. Absolutely not." Sapphire gently shrugged away from Nanefua and almost ran away, lifting her skirts up as she dashed for the street. "Government work is awful. I'm never doing this again. Goodbye."


	10. The Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which one chapter closes and another one begins.

Greg picked up the remote and clicked the TV off. He stood to his feet, stretching his legs, arching his back with a groan. "Okay, that's it. You're good."

The lump of pillows and blankets in the corner unfolded at once. Steven's face appeared first, chipper and sunny as ever. He would have seemed perfectly normal if it wasn't for the lack of blood still evident in his pallor. "Great! That was only twenty minutes. They beat the vampires, right?"

"Of course," Greg assured him. Steven lifted himself up off the floor and stuffed his phone in his back pocket. He'd been playing a bubble-shooter game for the last twenty minutes, figuring that even though he couldn't make it through the horror movie, he at least got a high score. "Those screams at the end were of joy."

He was lying, of course. All the teenagers in the cabin were relentlessly, coldly, brutally slaughtered by their vampire-fied friends in an impressive but cringeworthy mess of blood and gore. But Greg wasn't going to ruin it for Steven. Even though he'd insisted that they watch the film while it was still light outside, and that he have a pillow to hug, he'd made it through about eighty percent before he threw in the towel. It was improvement.

He and Steven went ahead and collected their little setup. The TV was small, VCR-only, a little thing he'd picked up at the shop for a cheap grab. Of course, it had to be plugged in, so the inside of It's a Wash was the only place they could watch it. The corner behind the "desk" (which really  _was_  a desk, but Greg used it just for a flat surface to put anything on) was turned into their makeshift theater.

Greg rewound the tape while it was still in. Steven seemed a little too intent on getting the blankets folded just right, the pillows at maximum fluffiness.

"So," he eventually said, "What are you going to do now?"

Steven shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe I'll go for a walk. Or go to the arcade. Or Funland. Or the beach. The world's full of possibilities, who's to say what will happen?"

Greg chewed on the inside of his cheek. He had known that Steven had been avoiding his own home for a time. What he thought was a sad but healthy escape from stress had become something to worry about. It was getting to the point where he was seriously considering going to the Temple himself to set the Gems straight. As much as he could, anyway. He was Greg.

"Stu-ball, I'm going to be honest. I'm really starting to think something has to happen with this problem the Gems are having."

Steven gave him a wide-eyed look in a failed attempt to seem innocent. "I mean...Yeah? I feel you."

"No, kiddo. You're  _hoping_  something is going to happen. Something  _needs_  to happen. Soon."

Steven pursed his lips for a moment, still flattening out a blanket even though it was impossibly even already.

"Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaah," he said at last. He didn't sound very much like himself. In hindsight, he hadn't for a while. "Nooooot suuuure what to dooooo about thaaaaat."

"Steven, stop dragging out your words to make this conversation last longer."

"I'm noooooooooot doooooiiiiin thaaaaaaaat!"

"Alright." Greg snatched the soda bottle set on the desk, popped the lid of, and pressed it into Steven's mouth before his son had time to react. Steven was surprised, of course, but gave a grateful sound and chugged down a good bit of it. "Listen. I know it seems like you can't do anything. Or maybe you don't  _want_  to do anything because you don't think it's your place. But this is starting to become a  _problem_. It's not okay for you not to feel comfortable in your own house. I think you should—"

The door swung open.

"Hey, Greg!" Ruby held up the box in her hands. "I broke into your storage unit and got this box full of old board games. We should play all of them at the same time."

"Rubyyyyyy!"

Steven sprung up to his feet and threw himself onto her. Though Ruby dropped the box in her surprise, she otherwise didn't budge.

"Steven!" Ruby patted him on the back while he continued to squeeze her neck. He was hugging her so hard his feet were lifted up off the floor. "I haven't seen you since this morning!"

"I know," he cried, missing her sarcasm by a mile. He finally released her and set himself back down on his feet. "So what games do you got?"

"Alright, let's see..." Ruby bent down and picked the boxes out, one-by-one. Years of age had left the cardboard soft and fraying. "Chance, Sugar World, Rat Trap, Warships...I've never seen this one before! The Game of Living: 'Pay taxes! Lose your job! Get a divorce!'…This one sounds too real."

Greg took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "Ruby, I don't know if this is a good time. Steven and I were just talking about—"

"Don't worry, Dad! I can play, too!" Steven picked up the remaining board games while Ruby held the rest. "We should go ahead and get started if we want to make it through a game of Megalomania." When Ruby opened her mouth, he quickly added, "I call dibs on the car!"

"Dang it!" Ruby stomped her foot.

"Alright, Dad! You can be the thimble or the boot."

"I want to be the thimble," said Ruby.

"Dad, you get to be the boot."

Greg took another deep breath. He knew Steven was trying to avoid the subject, but that Ruby was just being oblivious. It didn't make it any less frustrating. Still, he said, slowly, "You know what? Fine. Let's do this. While we're playing, we can talk about—"

"You know what?" Steven suddenly slapped his boxes on top of Ruby's. The Gem's face was obscured by the stack that towered all the way over her head. "I think I left the oven on the last time I was at the Funland Arcade! I'm going to go see. I'll see you later, Dad!"

And of course, he took off through the door before Greg could even say a syllable. Greg dragged his hands down his face with a long, guttural groan, even pulling down the skin under his eyes. He wondered how many times he was going to be interrupted in the middle of having a heart-to-heart conversation with someone.

Ruby, of course, was oblivious to his despair, and raised her voice over the boxes that blocked her face. "Now  _I_  get to be the car."

* * *

"No, I want to be the thimble!"

"I already called dibs on the thimble."

"Dibs has no legal power!"

"Sue me, Miller."

"Sadie. You can be the dog. I'll be the boot."

"Ugh...Thanks, Buck."

"Alright, so Lars is going to be the thimble, Sadie will be the dog, Buck will be the boot, Sour Cream will be piano, Kiki will be the fan, and  _yoooours truuuly_  will be the car. Oh, and Opal, you can be the ambulance. Alright!" Jenny reached for the dice and cupped them between her fingers. As she rolled them around, they  _tinked_  against the ring she was wearing. "We're going to go oldest to youngest."

This instantly gained her a glower from Kiki. "You're just saying that because you have six minutes on me."

"Excellent deduction, Kiki." Jenny reached out and pinched her twin's cheek, neverminding the lazy swat it got her in turn.

Sour Cream had his chin in his hand, his elbow on his knee, and lifted his head up to ask, "Doesn't that mean Sadie is supposed to go first?"

"Oh, poop." Jenny sighed and tossed the dice to the blonde. "Here you go, girl."

Sadie fumbled to catch the dice from the air, but managed. Somewhat frazzled, she also rolled them between her open palms. However, she also paused before she let them go. "I think Opal is supposed to go first."

Lars' nose scrunched up, and he cast the Crystal Gem a look over his shoulder. "How old is Opal, anyway?"

Kiki hummed. "I thought she was in her late thirties."

Sour Cream shook his head. "She's looked the same for so long. Forties at least."

"Dad said she's looked like that since before he became mayor," interjected Buck. It took him a moment to realize everyone was looking at him in question, but even then, all he gave was a calm, "Time is a mystery."

"Oh my goodness!" Jenny cried in realization. "Opal, what kind of moisturizer to you use?"

There was no response.

"Opal?"

Still nothing.

Everyone turned to look at the Crystal Gem. She was standing before the window—or squatting, more like, somehow keeping upright on the tips of her toes while her elbows rested on her knees. The sunlight made her hair look pure yellow, the edges almost too bright to look at. What she was looking at, they couldn't tell. There wasn't much outside Sour Cream's house besides, well, the street.

"Oh no." Kiki covered her mouth with her hand and leaned forward to whisper, "She's doing the thing again."

Sadie also lowered her voice. "Okay, don't make fun of her if she forgot something. Lars, I'm looking at you."

Lars started at this, both annoyed and embarrassed. Sadie was used to teasing him, she had been for years now, but doing so in front of others was never really... _appreciated_  on his part. Nor was the fact that she was completely unapologetic about it.

"It was  _one_  time," he all but hissed.

"You hurt her feelings," Sadie hissed back.

"She almost crashed the car!"

Jenny cleared her throat and called out, her voice sweet but a little slow, the way one would talk to keep a child calm. "Hey, Opal! Are you okay?"

Opal perked up and turned around, brows raised.

Jenny waved to her kindly, all smiles. "Come on! We're playing Megalomania: Extra! You get to be the ambulance. And since you're the oldest, you can go first!"

Opal realized, looking at all the teenagers huddled around the large heptagonal board, that she had done it  _again_. She had completely left the realm of reality  _again_ , and left all time and senses behind her. It wasn't actually that big of a deal, but it was embarrassing.

She had been hanging out with the Cool Kids more often. Apparently, her one feat at the basketball game had rendered her a fixture for them. She certainly hadn't sought them out herself—rather, there were so many instances of her walking around Beach City, aimless more often than not, and one or more of them popping out of nowhere, asking or even demanding that she come with them, that Opal had just accepted her place in their group at a certain point. Even though the Cool Kids were still the most iconic trio of the teenagers, Lars and Sadie were much like her in that they were welcomed, if not official. Kiki, Opal learned, would have been a Cool Kid a long time ago if it weren't for her almost nonstop work schedule.

Now, if you had told Opal even a month ago that she would be regularly hanging out with human teenagers in her free time, she would have laughed in your face. But now, even for how short she'd been doing it, she accepted it as everyday occurrence. And it wasn't even that she was using them for pure distraction, though she took some shame in admitting that maybe that was the case at first. She found that she liked being with them all. They were easy-going and good-natured, so disconnected from all things Gem that it was a breath of fresh air for her. Which was not to say that the differences between them never came up, but yeah. It was good.

She tried to just shake it off, walking over to take her place at the board with her head held high. Kiki and Sour Cream scooted over to give her some reason. It was luck that board itself was so large that Opal didn't have to sit behind them all just so everyone had access.

Sadie tossed her the dice, and Opal caught them without looking. She rolled, got a seven, grabbed the piano, and moved forward. Sour Cream opened his mouth to interject, but decided to just drop it.

"I will buy the haunted house," Opal declared. She grabbed a handful of paper money and slapped it down in the middle of the board. "All the way! Full price!"

While Buck handed her the card and the little house, Jenny sucked air through her teeth and leaned towards Sour Cream. "She always goes full-stop right off the bat! She's a beast!"

Opal handed the dice to Sadie, who took the lowermost purchase on the boardwalk. Opal took her attention to her paper money, straightening out the crinkles and keeping them in tidy stacks. She actually had a collection of this stuff back at the Temple. She wondered if Sour Cream would mind if she took some.

(He would mind. Bad, Opal. Bad.)

"So," Jenny drawled as she rolled the dice. "How's it going with the Crystal Gems?"

Opal tipped her head side-to-side. "It's going."

Kiki leaned towards her sister while she took the dice. "Sounds like it's going."

Kiki did something that got her a few more dollar bills, but whatever victory it was went ignored when Sadie attempted to keep the conversation going. "Can I ask a question?"

Opal raised a brow at her. "I don't know,  _can_  you ask a question?"

Sadie huffed. " _May_  I ask a question?"

"You should have asked a question during break."

"I didn't  _need_  to ask a question during break," Sadie whined, and the teenagers chuckled and giggled. Buck himself cracked a smile as he sent the dice rolling.

Of course, Opal had never been to high school, or elementary school, or preschool, and she hardly understood anything about them. But the Cool Kids kept her involved in their inside jokes, so as long as someone was laughing, she took part.

Lars rolled and immediately got sent to jail. The easy look on his face turned into a scowl at the flick of a switch. Though he obediently placed the little metal thimble in the barred square, he grumbled under his breath, "This game is so stupid."

Sadie elbowed him in the side. "Don't be a sore loser. But seriously, Opal. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but what exactly happened between you and Ruby?"

Silence fell over the group, and though it  _could_  have been because they all knew at this point that this was a sensitive subject for the Crystal Gem, it was really because, well, they were interested. They weren't a gossipy bunch, but...Well, Opal was pretty mysterious. They liked listening to her talk about herself, even in small details.

Surprising them all, Opal let out a long, but agreeing sigh. She seemed more tired than anything, and as they waited for her answer, the dice were passed to Sour Cream in silence.

"Okay," Opal said at last, "You know how I'm actually two people fused into the same form?"

"I..." Sadie sent a wide-eyed and very much alarmed look to Lars, only to find herself looking in a mirror. "No? I did  _not_  know that?"

Opal frowned and turned to the Cool Kids. "Guess it was just you guys, huh? Well, anyways—I'm a fusion between two Gems named Amethyst and Pearl, and we also fused with Ruby to form Sunstone."

Lars's mouth moved about, but the only sound that came out from it was, "Uh—"

"I won't go into it, but basically Ruby did something that hurt me. I mean...us."

Now it was Sadie's turn. "Wait, what—?"

"It's just that...What she did was very in-the-moment, and I know she didn't plan on doing it, but she still did it. She lost control of herself and took it out on me. So…yeah. That's what happened."

"Okay, hold on—"

"Soooo..." Jenny drummed her fingers on the carpet. "Does that mean you guys aren't friends anymore?"

The question didn't startle Opal, but it did unsettle her, somehow. The hand that was arranging all her fake bills froze, and in her pausing, she didn't notice the game being put on hold. For just a second, she was in a weird, unfeeling state, a computer screen that hadn't quite loaded yet.

"No." She only realized what she said after the fact. Even still, she kept going. "No, I just...I'm mad at her. I should be mad at her."

"Okay, hang on." Lars held up both of his hands. Beside him, Sadie's eyes were practically bouncing around in her head, going from one calm face to the next. "I am  _so_  confused. How—?"

"That's fair," Sour Cream said. "You can be mad at someone and still be their friend. I guess."

Buck gathered all his money in his hands, Go Fish-style. As ever, he sounded very lax when he gave his two cents. "As long as you're honest about how you feel."

Kiki reached over and placed her hand over the fusion's. Hers seemed so tiny by comparison, but it was comforting, as was the warm smile she gave. "You shouldn't force yourself to be mad. But you shouldn't force yourself to be anything else, either."

"Right." Opal huffed out a breath and gave her a smile of her own, small and a little shaky. "Thank you, Cici. You're very wise."

"My name is Kiki."

"That's what I said."

Sadie tried once again to cut in, as Lars was too busy giving Opal a narrow-eyed, nose-scrunched look of pure bafflement. "I'm sorry, but could someone  _please_  explain to me how—"

"Hey, Opal, I think someone's calling for you."

It was Sour Cream who said it, but it was Onion who handed her the phone. Of course the child couldn't walk into the room like a normal person; he had to descend down on a rope anchored in the air vents of the house. At the very least, he didn't seem to be a threat at the moment.

Opal took the phone, very small in her hands, and Onion was left to dangle over the board and give a little wave to the others in greeting while she answered.

"Hello?"

"Opal. I need you to come to the boardwalk as soon as you can."

Opal sat up straight at once. This was not unnoticed, of course. The dice had almost made their way back to her, but now Sour Cream hesitated, arm still outstretched. Lars and Sadie were the only ones not come up in the moment. Both were having a conversation with few actual words about what on the actual planet Earth was going on.

"Sapphire?" Opal asked. It was a dumb response, she knew, but she didn't know what else to say.

Sapphire apparently didn't, either, as she replied, "Yes."

"I—Hold on, what's going on? Is something wrong?"

"I can't explain it right now. Just please come as quickly as you can."

"O-okay." And this moment was when New Opal—the new, open Opal that hung out with human teenagers and played games in arcades and amusement parks and sometimes just wandered the town just to wander the town—was replaced with Leader Opal. Tough. Determined. One-track-minded. The Opal she never wanted to be in the first place, but had to accept as one of her many facets. "I'm on my way. Hang in there."

Sapphire hung up before she did. Opal tossed the phone up in the air for Onion to catch without so much as a blink. The teenagers were surprised when Opal stood up to...as much of her height as she could manage. Still, slightly-crouching or not, Opal still managed to look suddenly and thoroughly intimidating.

"Opal?" Kiki asked. "What's going on?"

"Sapphire needs me to meet with her right now," Opal replied, brisk and blunt. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave right now. This has been fun. Jenny, I give the haunted house to you."

"Yesssss."

"Take care of yourselves," Opal told them all as she dashed for the door. It took going through it and her toes touching the grass for her to recall something, and she made sure to cut past the front window so she could shout, "Listen for the sirens!"

* * *

The second Sapphire hung the phone back on the receiver, she was filled with doubt. Embarrassing doubt. And it did not go unnoticed by Nanefua.

"Alright," she sighed when Sapphire continued to stare at her hand still resting on the phone. Nanefua wiped her hands down the front of her apron, leaving little streaks of red in their wake. "Either tell me what's going on, or leave the kitchen. Your attitude will make the pizza salty."

"I don't know what's going on," Sapphire told her honestly. She took her hand off the phone at last, but she stood rooted to the spot. Her fingers twitched to do something, so as she always did, Sapphire clasped them together before her chest. "I just have a feeling."

"Oh, no! We talked about this! No stupidly blaming yourself! Now get over here." Nanefua stomped over to the door in the far wall and pulled it open. Though it was a small closet space, it was a very  _comfortable_  small closet space—lined with blankets and pillows, a pastel-colored disco ball hanging from the ceiling, the sound of birdsong coming from a little stereo set up in the corner. "Get in the positivity closet. Ten minutes."

"It's different this time," sighed Sapphire. "I'm not looking into the future at all. I simply...have a bad feeling. I don't know how to explain it."

"You know where bad feelings can be fixed? The positivity closet."

"I don't want to go in the positivity closet!"

"You sound negative!"

Sapphire had to bite her lip to keep from groaning at her companion's (friend's? acquaintance's?) insistence. Instead, she just gripped her fingers a little bit tighter. She really didn't want this to be a bad day. She had had too many bad days. After her revelation with Nanefua, she'd decided that she was going to hold off on future vision for a time. Homeworld, Jasper, Chrysocolla—all were threats that loomed on the horizon, but at this point, she had nothing more she could do about any of them.

The problem was this: when you have something that you do every day, every hour, and almost every minute, it is  _very. hard._  to stop doing that thing. She'd slipped several times out of sheer habit. She was wired at this point to test any questions she had. Several times, it had gotten to the point of  _hurting_ , nagging at the back of her mind, an itch she couldn't scratch, a knot she couldn't pull out.

This was one of those times. But for some reason, this one was the worst time so far. And Sapphire didn't care for it one bit. She kept fighting it, but it kept coming back. And Nanefua didn't care for  _that_  one bit, either.

Sapphire looked to the phone again. Nanefua was watching her, one little foot tapping on the floor.

"Maybe I should call again to tell her  _not_  to come," Sapphire finally said.

Nanefua at last closed the door to the Positivity Closet. While she went back to stirring tomato sauce with her wooden spoon, she said, "She's already on her way over, I bet. You'll just have to tell her that nothing is wrong."

Sapphire pursed her lips once more. 'Nothing is wrong' did not sound right at all. However, whether this was a gut feeling or just another symptom of future vision withdrawal, she didn't know.

Either way, Opal was coming—which was neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It wasn't that Sapphire was holding something against her leader and friend, of course not. Opal was certainly  _not_  the one to be upset with at the current time. But the two of them had not spoken in quite a while outside of quick, one-syllable, passing exchanges. Neither of them could stand to be in the Temple much as of late, and since that was usually the only time they were together, well...

Sapphire finally left the phone and went to her own work station. Her job was mainly just chopping things up, and in general doing whatever Nanefua or Kofi asked her to do. Saying that she actually had a 'job' might be pushing it. She wasn't getting paid outside the tip jar set up on the counter. She'd only really been hired so Kiki could actually have time to be a teenager. But, Nanefua had given her what she'd asked for: a job. Something to distract her with.

As it were, slicing and dicing onions—something she did frequently because the fumes did not affect her eyes as they did Nanefua's—she was once again hit with a strong, sudden urge to take a look. Before Opal got here. Before...something happened. She had to see what that something was. Before it happened. She had to see. The thing. That was going to happen. Before it happened.

She fought, and she fought, but finally she put her knife down and let out a deep, steady sigh. Nanefua turned to her at the sound, the hand stirring the tomato sauce stilling.

Sapphire clasped her hands together again. "I need to take... _one_  look."

Nanefua clicked her tongue in the universal sign of a grandmother's disappointment. With the spoon, still dripping red, she pointed to the Positivity Closet. "You have to do it in there. Don't come out until you're not unhappy. And cuddle with something."

Sapphire did as she was told. She guessed, if there was anywhere to look into the future to see if something horrifying or deadly was going to happen, the Positivity Closet was a nice place to do so. Once she shut the door behind her, the smells and sounds of the kitchen were cut off in an instant.

There were two rules of the Positivity Closet, as Nanefua had said: no leaving until she was not unhappy, and she had to cuddle with something. So, as birdsong came from the little stereo and the pastel cast little colorful snowflakes on the walls, Sapphire grabbed a giant stuffed teddy bear and hunkered down.

She looked. She saw.

Sapphire had said before that time went a little funny once you left the present. Sometimes, when she looked in the future, it only took a literal second. Sometimes, hours. It depended on how deeply she searched, how many possibilities she had to rifle through. As it was, she did not have to look very far at all before she got the answer she was looking for.

So, one second, she was in the Positivity Closet, cuddling with a teddy bear.

The next, she was standing in the kitchen, the door of the Positivity Closet holding a hole that was quite large and shaped almost perfectly like her silhouette.

"I have to go," was all she said before she all but blazed out of the kitchen.

Nanefua tried to call after her, screaming,  _"You sound unhappy!"_  Of course, Sapphire was long gone, so Nanefua just shook her head and turned back to her tomato sauce. With the spoon, she took a little taste, smacking her tongue. At once, her mouth twisted in disgust. "Oh, she made it salty!"

* * *

Steven, of course, was not having a wonderful day.

His little time of escape was coming to a close. He'd spent a while now running from what was happening, trying to ignore the state of his home, the state of his family—and soon he would no longer be able to do so. There was some kind of finale coming, but whether it would be a good one or a bad one, he couldn't say.

So, Steven wasn't completely happy.

So who best to call for help?

"Connie!"

The girl in question looked up at once at the sound of her name. She was on the front lawn of her home, her hair tied back from her face, a bathrobe tied around her. Now, her day had been relatively normal, but it marked a day of firsts: her parents, finally, let her stay home alone without a babysitter. The only condition being she had to call them every hour, and if she was going to leave for any reason.

So, of course, Connie had taken the opportunity to wear her pajamas all day, eat the travel-size package of sugary cereal she'd snuck in under her coat a few weeks back, and do what she pleased. She read more of her book, played her violin, and practiced her swordplay quite a bit. But she had been lonely most of the day.

So, when she saw Steven running up the sidewalk, a smile broke across her face at once. "Steven! Is Lion with you?"

"Nope! I took a bus." Steven skidded to a stop in front of her, still smiling. Though a bit out of breath once he came up to her, he added, "I actually haven't seen Lion for a while! I'm worried about him. Actually."

"Oh. Uh...well, now that you're here, you can see what I've been working on!"

Connie gestured down to a line of tinfoil squares on the sidewalk.

Steven hummed. "What is it?"

"Toast!" Connie picked up one square, warm but not too hot, and peeled the foil back. The white bread inside was warm, but only a spot or two had any toasting on it. Connie huffed in disappointment. "Ugh. Not toasty enough."

Steven had already opened two and had nearly devoured both of them by the time she asked this. Through a mouthful, he declared, "I like 'em!"

Connie took a seat on the grass, and Steven took a seat beside her. The sun was setting lower and lower now, and its effect was beautiful—and orange sky and golden clouds, dark shadows that stretched on and on. It made for a peaceful scene, just sitting in the grass, under the setting sun, eating not-quite toast.

Connie took another bite and asked, "Is that thing going on between Ruby and Opal still...well, going on?"

Steven couldn't blame her for asking the question. He and Connie had not talked much during the stressful period, as Connie had been out of town for most of it, visiting relatives in one of her few vacations away from school. Of course, the whole affair had put her and Opal's sword-training on hold—Connie tried to make up for it, but with her parents being her parents (especially her mother being her mother), her only practice was using whatever long stick she could find. When her parents caught her, they dismissed it as a play of pretend. Today was the first time she'd picked up her sword in quite a time, having kept it under a loose floorboard in her room.

In any case, even though she and Steven had not been able to see each other for a time, they had kept in touch. Explaining everything to Connie over the phone was somehow a lot easier than doing so to his father in person, though Steven couldn't explain why.

"Yeeeeah," Steven sighed. "Still going on."

"Are you not upset by it? I mean, you guys have so much to worry about, doesn't it upset you that this is happening, too?"

"I mean...Is there a word that means yes and no?"

"'Partly'?"

"Okay, I was going to say 'nes.' But to answer your question: partly. I  _guess_  I'm upset that it's happening when there's other stuff going on, but it's not just...a  _thing_. It's a problem. It has to happen. It—Eauauguaguaguh."

Steven fell until his back hit the grass. Connie stared down at him with sympathy.

"Why does it feel bad talking about it?" he sighed.

"Talking about bad things makes you feel bad," Connie stated very matter-of-factly. She rolled one square of tinfoil into a tight ball and reached for another. "Plus it's not really about  _you_. So it's a different kind of upset, you know?"

"Nes."

"Hm." Connie fell back, too. The two of them stared up at the orange sky, watching the golden clouds drift by, all streaks and no shapes. "Talking about something bad that someone else did is different from talking about something bad that you did. It's bad, but it's not  _your_  bad. Does that make sense?"

"A little," Steven exhaled.

"At least you're talking about it, right? Better than keeping it all pent up." Connie snorted and tapped her elbow against his middle. "You're not keeping any secrets, are you?"

That question alone brings one thought into his mind:

Star.

He  _still_  had not told the Crystal Gems, or anyone, of the figure he met in his dreams. And they still met, almost every night, exchanging small talk, talking about the day. Star obviously did not have much emotional attachment to the whole Ruby-Opal ordeal, to the point where Steven thought them uninterested in the whole affair. Though maybe he was projecting that—when the two of them got into the topic, it was always him who changed the subject.

Star knew they were still a secret, and they were still neutral about it. In truth, Steven still didn't know how big of a "deal" Star was. He trusted them. He thought of them as a friend, albeit one that was quite the mystery. He dared to say that he actually held a little fear in telling the others. He didn't want it to become a situation like Lapis again, where his insistence that Star was not an enemy would fall on deaf ears.

 _But_...He could trust Connie. She could keep a secret.

So, lying there on the grass beside her, watching the clouds pass by, Steven finally spoke up. "Hey, Connie?"

She turned to him, brows raised. "Yes?"

"I have to tell you something," he would have said.

"I have to tell you something," he did  _not_  say.

Because right at that moment, something very sudden, very hot, and very loud came crashing down between them.

He heard Connie scream, felt one of his own tear its way out of his throat. His body flung itself backwards on instinct, limbs flailing on the grass, somehow pulling him up to his feet. His heart began to beat so hard so suddenly it hurt in his chest; his lungs weren't working. His entire body was at attention, all too quickly.

It took a moment for everything to fall back down to normal, to realize that neither he nor Connie were hurt, neither of them were  _dead_. He found Connie's eyes, wide to the point of almost bulging, saw her chest pumping air in and out at a rabbit's pace.

Finally, both of them looked down to what lied between them. It was a great hunk of something vaguely metallic yet stony at the same time. It was smoking hot, but the smoke was greenish, and the smell of it was more like sulfur than anything. It had struck into the ground so hard that the earth beneath it had become a gaping hole full of smoldering clay.

"Oh my gosh," Steven wheezed. "That shooting star almost shot us!  _We didn't wish fast enough!_ "

Connie tried to speak, failed, and tried again. "I don't think that's a shooting star, Steven."

Steven tipped his head at the thing. He was half-tempted to reach out and poke at it with the toe of his sandal, but the smoke still coming off of it kept his foot down. "Is it a meteor?"

"I don't think so."

"Is it an asteroid?"

"Steven, now's not the time to be technical! We need to...figure out..." Connie's voice fading off into thought had Steven looking back up at her. Her face was tilted upwards, squinting just slightly in the warm sunlight. "Steven, look!"

The clouds had been streaked across the sky before, but what had once appeared natural now appeared anything but. To Steven, it looked like a great hand had reached up and clawed at the sky until the clouds were shredded in its wake. It was not a settling sight. What was  _also_  not a settling sight was seeing the effect continue. Or, better put, to see the great, invisible hand continue to shred the clouds, further and further away.

Steven's own thoughts pulled him out of his own thoughts.

'Invisible.'

He looked back down at the smoking hunk beneath him.

His mouth moved without him. "Connie?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to get to Beach City... _Right_ , right now."

* * *

Ruby rolled a dice, spun a wheel, picked up three cards, and flipped a switch almost all at the same time. Afterwards, she moved forward three spaces, then five somewhere else, got twenty dollars worth of fake money, crossed over the rainbow bridge, gave one of her game chips to Greg, and, specifically via the Game of Living, had the tires on her car stolen.

"Alright," she boasted, smiling almost ear to ear. "You owe me twenty dollars and two chips. Or...twenty chips and two dollars. Also, give me one of your properties. Alternatively, you could give me six points. Wait, no—Okay, this several-games-at-once idea was bad from the beginning and I'm ashamed of myself."

Greg just hummed in response and picked up the dice. Honestly, he had no idea who was winning and losing what at this point. Now, don't get him wrong—he liked hanging out with Ruby. He was  _happy_  to be hanging out with Ruby again. But even though he'd comforted her about what was happening between her and Opal, even when she had been in the wrong in the matter, the sheer amount of time it was taking for it to be solved was beginning to grate on his nerves.

It was all for Steven's sake, of course. He knew his son was going through so much. He knew he was still worried about Lapis—even though his last experience with the water-controlling Gem had been pretty nasty, and even though he understood little about the whole 'she's fused with another Gem and is probably in the ocean somewhere', he understood that Steven knew a different side of her and trusted that—and he knew that Steven was as worried as the rest of them about Homeworld.

So, after tossing the dice, and spinning the wheel, and moving his piece forward three places, he finally said, "Ruby, we need to talk."

"Shhhh."

Greg's head snaked back at the response. He didn't know what reaction he was expecting, but  _shushing_  him certainly wasn't it. The surprise very quickly gave way to annoyance, however, and he snapped, "No, I'm not going to 'shhhh!' We need to talk about—"

_"Shhhhhh."_

" _No_! I'm not going to sit by and keep—"

"Greg, hush! Listen!"

The urgency in her voice was what quieted him. Ruby held her hand out to him, but her eyes were upward, looking around the ceiling beneath her furrowed brows. Greg followed, confused.

 _Then_  he heard it. Like the sound of a passing plane, but somehow too close and too quiet at the same time. Just as he was about to guess it was just that, a plane or a helicopter, a shadow passed over the windows.

Greg froze on instinct, but Ruby shot up to her feet. She dashed over to the window in an instant, almost too quickly to see, and Greg pulled himself together just enough to follow suit.

It was clear as day—a great shadow, almost perfectly circular, sliding over the ground outside. It slipped across the parking lot, crossed onto the road. But raising their gazes upward, neither Ruby nor Greg saw where it was coming from. It was as though something that didn't even exist was casting the shadow.

Greg, of course, was about to ask a question point-blank, figuring Ruby had a better knowledge of the unknown than he did.

Ruby did, of course, and was already in action before he could even get a word out. She rounded on him, hands curled into fists, her brows knit but her eyes wide with a steadily-rising panic.

"You need to stay indoors," she told him, her voice trying very hard to be strong. "Call Steven! I'm going to go to the Temple and sound the alarm!"

Then she took off, almost breaking the door off its hinges in her speed. Greg's arm moved on its own, fumbling for his phone, even as his unblinking eyes followed her as she sped outside. She was gone in just a moment, a streak of red moving to the south, but the  _thing_ —whatever it was—saw her. The shadow stopped. Considered. Followed.

* * *

The boardwalk of Beach City was not a particularly large one. So, when Opal finally arrived, her bow already slung across her back, she was very confused when she could not locate Sapphire. She was looking up and down, even underneath the boards, and didn't spot a sign of her. Minutes passed by, too much for her comfort. Fear began to creep up on her, worry, that Sapphire had been hurt while she was busy coming over.

She heard footsteps running, and turned with full intention of seeing her blue friend at last, only to instead find that it was Steven and Connie. They had seen her from quite a distance and were bee-lining right for her. Even so far away, Opal saw the confusion on Connie's face, the fear on Steven's.

Steven was running so fast he all but crashed into her legs. Connie just barely managed to skid to a stop.

"Opal," Steven gasped. "Opal, there's..."

"What is it?" Opal asked. She knelt down to him, taking his shoulders in her hands.

"There's a...there's a...hah..."

Steven really, truly wanted to tell her what was going on. Unfortunately for him, his lungs were very unhappy with the run he'd just taken.

"The," he tried again. "The  _hah_...the  _heugh_...the  _heaughaehgah_..."

Opal turned to Connie instead. "Connie, translate!"

Connie did so, in quite a spitfire speed. "Jasper's here! She's here in Beach City!"

Opal blinked several times at this, not processing. Her confusion only made the children more panicked, as Steven wheezed harder, and Connie shook her fists. She hadn't even realized until then that Connie had Rose's sword strapped to her back. "What? How? What are you talking about?"

_"Heauhhgah...heaughahh...aehahguhaah..."_

"Steven, my boy, don't hurt yourself!"

"Her ship," Connie insisted. "A piece of it fell down in front of my house! It was headed right for— _look_!"

Connie pointed upwards. Opal had not even noticed the clouds before. There was a very clear streak in them, a clear path of disruption, and of course it went right in the direction of the Temple. Realization that this was happening, that this was  _really_  happening, was sinking into Opal bit by bit.

And as it was, Opal demanded, "Do you know where Ruby and Sapphire are?"

* * *

Ruby knew that Jasper had seen her, and counted it as sheer luck that the ship had apparently been damaged enough to delay its speed. Ruby was not nearly as fast as Sapphire, not even as fast as Opal, yet still she managed to keep a distance between herself and Jasper. She kept her mind on keeping it that way, and her only other thought besides that was  _the siren, the siren, the siren._

It did occur to her that the siren was still in front of the Temple—in front of their  _home_ —but, well, she had to do what she had to do. The house could be replaced; human lives couldn't. She knew Steven wouldn't be home. She doubted anyone would.

The first fire was poorly aimed but powerful still. A patch of sand to her left, too close to comfort, erupted in smoke and green flame. She ducked around it easily. She was running as fast as she possibly could. She imagined that, steering the ship, Jasper's teeth were grinding into nubs.

Finally, finally, the siren appeared. Ruby reached for it, never stopping for a second, even as she heard the hum of the ship growing, the sparks crackling.

Two hands came down on the keypad, one of which was not her own.

"Wh—What are you doing here?"

Sapphire's teeth were grit together about as tightly as her hands gripping onto the wood of the pole. She looked past Ruby's shoulder and opened the lid of the keypad so quickly it went flying to the sand.

"Same thing as you," she spat out. She reached for the 'one' button.

Ruby's hand grabbed hers before she could press it. "We should do three!"

"B...The citizens can't go outside! They'll be open targets!"

"What, and staying in their houses will be better? They'd be sitting ducks!"

Another shot came down and almost blasted Sapphire where she stood. Ruby reached out and grabbed her on instinct, single-handedly swinging her away from the smoking pit that was left behind. Not a second later, Sapphire reached around her and slammed down on the 'three' button.

The two of them took off together just seconds before it began. The hum of the ship was drowned out by the unending wail that took over.

The sound swept over Beach City from one end to the other. Everyone in the Fish Pizza restaurant froze for all of two seconds before moving into action, flinging down chairs and sending plates crashing in their hurry. Within Sour Cream's house, all the teenagers lunged into motion at the same time, the Pizza girls calling home, Sour Cream's mother barking from the other room to get in the car. Mr. Smiley took his spot at Funland's entrance, guiding the masses out.

In his home, Greg's heart began to race as the siren wailed, and his fingers fumbled to call Steven once again. He didn't know what to do—evacuate with everyone else, or stay behind with his son? This had happened before; he didn't know if he could leave Steven behind again.

* * *

Steven's phone buzzed in his pocket. Still just slightly out of breath, he pulled it out and clicked on the green button. Behind him, he heard footsteps coming and going, the citizens of Beach City running for the hills. Connie reached up and removed the sword from its scabbard.

"Hello?" Steven had to scream over the siren. "If this is another call about my car insurance, just know that one: I'm very busy right now, and two: I know you're not a real person!"

"Steven? Where are you?!"

He supposed he should have been expecting it to be Greg. He gave Opal a frantic look. Even she was unsure of what to do, hands twitching and eyes darting around, but still rooted to the spot.

"I'm on the boardwalk," Steven told his father. He tried to cup his mouth over his phone to help. "You should go ahead and leave before the traffic gets too bad!"

"What's going on?" Greg demanded. On his side of the line, he was looking at his van through the window and seriously considering climbing inside whether it was to go to Steven or not.

Steven bit back a groan. "Okay, so the Homeworld Gem who hates Mom and me and the Crystal Gems and the planet Earth is back and she has an invisible ship and she's probably going to destroy the whole city just to get to us."

"...WHAT?!"

Opal suddenly jumped, and Steven turned. Ruby and Sapphire were running full-speed for them. Behind them, the clouds were being stirred once again.

Opal grabbed him by the back of his shirt, Connie by the back of her robe, and hauled both of them up and into her arms. Before either of them were really ready, she, too, was running as fast as her legs could move, flanked by Ruby and Sapphire.

Over the siren and the wind and the movement, Steven screamed into his phone,  _"Go ahead and leave the town, Dad! I'll be fine!"_

Then he just hung up and stuffed his phone into his pocket. The run didn't last nearly as long as he thought it would. They had all stopped before he realized it, and the siren's wail was just barely being muffled behind closed walls.

Opal set him and Connie down on their feet. Both children blinked, wide-eyed, trying to take in their environment. Connie was unfamiliar with the place, but Steven was not. He recognized the shelves, the counter, the smell of grease.

And really, even if he didn't know where he was, the three Fryman men (Frymen?) in the room gave it away.

"Nooooo!" Peedee had his hands glued to the counter. Even with his father grabbing him by his lower half and pulling with all of his strength, his much smaller, much thinner son somehow managed to keep his grip on the edge. "I won't leave! I won't leave again!"

"You can't take care of the stand if you're dead," growled Mr. Fryman. He switched tactics, instead turning his back, putting his son's ankles over his shoulders, and tugging him by the legs. The iron grip of the young boy was something to admire.

Ronaldo was, of course, being Ronaldo. With one hand, he was pulling a stuffed backpack onto his shoulders. His other hand was holding his phone up to his face.

"Okay," he was saying. "I'm here live at the Beach Citywalk Fries stand. The siren just started wailing, you can hear it in the background. That sound means we all need to evacuate the city, so since I promised I would, I'm going to livestream what we're doing. So what I've got on my back here is our emergency backpack. Actually, hold on, let me show you guys what I have. I promised I'd do an unpacking video at some—Hey! The Crystal Gems are here!"

The phone was turned towards them, of course, but besides a brief glance by Mr. Fryman and the ever-stubborn Peedee, there wasn't much reaction. Steven waved politely.

The Crystal Gems ignored Ronaldo in favor of huddling around each other. Connie continued to grip her sword in her hands. Sapphire and Ruby had summoned their Weapons at some point, too.

"We have to do something  _now_ ," Opal declared. " _Right_  now. We can't fight her here or she'll destroy the whole town."

Steven stepped forward, waving his hand. "We should try talking to her! Fighting never gets us anywhere with Jasper!"

Ruby shook her head. "Who's it going to be? The three people she hates, the one person she  _super_  hates, or the human she couldn't care less about?"

"Steven, she's got a point," said Connie. "I don't want to fight, either, but I don't think Jasper will listen right now. We have to incapacitate her first."

"How?" demanded Ruby. "It's the five of us against one giant,  _invisible_  ship!"

Opal pursed her lips. "Well, the first thing we're going to do is stay  _calm_. Let's not freak out."

Ruby's mouth snapped shut at once. Somehow, even in the middle of an all-or-nothing situation like this, the tension  _still_  managed to consume the group. One of Sapphire's hands gripped a handful of her dress. Steven squirmed on his feet.

"We don't have time to lose," Opal went on. "We need to get her away from here, away from the town. That's our first priority."

"I can take care of that," said Sapphire.

"Okay," Ruby said, "but what are the rest of us—Ronaldo, get that camera out of my face—what are the rest of us supposed to do?"

Connie stepped forward and set a hand on Steven's shoulder. "What can  _we_  do?"

"You two can't do anything. Not unless some kind of deus ex machina happens."

Steven snapped his fingers. "Gotcha. We need a mecha."

"That's not what that m—It doesn't matter. You and Connie need to go somewhere safe. I'll lead Japser away from the city. Ruby and Opal, you two—"

Thunderous cracking drowned out Sapphire's voice. All at once, something was raining down on them all, the sound of the siren wailed louder. Steven ducked and covered on instinct. Connie held her sword above them so that whatever was falling clinked off of the blade. Fresh air wafted into the stand.

Above them, the entire roof of Beach Citywalk Fries was suspended in a green glow. It just cut off short, right where the invisible ship was. It was in worse shape than they had thought; so quickly it was almost unnoticeable, but its image was blinking in and out. The invisibility cloak was failing. Green sparks danced off of cracks and fissures.

All of them, Crystal Gems and Frymen alike, stared up at the ship for a very long, quiet moment. Then Peedee gripped the counter harder and cried, "I'm  _still_  not going!"

The roof was flung off somewhere unseen, so far away there wasn't even a sound of its impact.

Then, crackling with static but every word recognizable, a very familiar voice blasted out of the ship.

_"I TOLD YOU I WASN'T DONE WITH YOU!"_

What happened next truly was too quick to keep up with, at least for Steven in Connie. To them, they went from standing on the floor to flying through the air in less than a millisecond. To the Crystal Gems, at the  _exact_  second that the tractor beam fired down, they grabbed the human children and burst through the screen of the counter.

Jasper instead grabbed hold of the Frymen, but couldn't have pulled them up if she tried. The tiniest of the humans, a really scrawny thing, was gripping some kind of service counter with enough strength to resist the tractor beam's pull. Somewhat impressed,  _incredibly_  confused, and extremely annoyed, Jasper let them go and turned her attention to where the Crystal Gems had fled. She just barely caught a flash of color darting behind another building.

Opal didn't even stop moving between setting the children down and getting her bow at the ready. Steven and Connie stumbled forward, but just as both of them opened their mouths to speak, Sapphire barked at them, "Get somewhere safe! Stay out of this one!"

It was Connie who obeyed her first, and only when she heard the hum of the ship coming closer. She had to tug Steven away despite his protests. His eyes stayed on the Crystal Gems until he couldn't see them anymore.

With just the three of them left, Sapphire bent down to the ground and concentrated. She focused on her fear, the worry, but also the determination, and channeled them together until ice seeped from her fingers and onto the ground. Ice as white as snow rose into the air razor-sharp, blooming into an icy flower. Only when it stood eight feet tall did Sapphire stop, pulling her hands away with a little grunt of effort.

Opal and Ruby were surprised, not having seen her use the method for quite a while, but didn't let it take them over. While Ruby took a glance around the corner, Opal demanded, "Sapphire, what do we need to do?"

"There's only one way we can win this," Sapphire gritted out.

But then the ship was right above them, sparking and flickering and casting its shadow down like a blanket. Sapphire's only command was "Ruby!"

Ruby hit the icy flower as hard as she could.

Steam consumed the air until there was nothing to see but white. If one were to look at Beach City from a distance, they would see, besides the cars that were driving out of the town, what looked like a cloud exploding from the middle of the town. It swallowed the ship, the whole street. Connie and Steven, still running as fast as they could, just barely escaped it.

In the void, Ruby called out, firm and loud, "WHAT do we DO?!"

Somewhere, Sapphire responded, "We need to get the Laser Light Cannons out! Then we need to lure her away from the Temple. Then we need to—"

"There's no time," Opal barked. She couldn't even see who was closer to her. "What else can we do?"

"That's the only—"

"Sapphire, _what else_?"

Sapphire paused before answering. "If you two could fuse into Sunstone, then that might do it. But you guys probably couldn't keep her together, and if you wanted to, you'd have to talk several things out and...Just tell me what you want to do and we'll do it."

Ruby very nearly declared that they were going to get the Cannons—she couldn't pressure Opal, not _again_ —but then a hand touched down on her shoulder, and Opal very simply said, "Let's talk."

* * *

As it turned out, Greg did not need to leave Beach City. Not yet, anyway.

He'd finally made up his mind to just do it, figuring that if Steven wanted him to, then he just needed to listen to his son. But it just so happened to be his son who  _also_  got him to stay behind.

By climbing into his van out of nowhere, of course.

Greg very nearly screamed when his passenger door opened, but it faded in his chest when he saw that it was Steven and Connie, scrambling in the vehicle. Both of them seemed more worried than scared. Of course, Greg had seen the explosion of steam, so seeing the two of them unharmed soothed his nerves.

"What are you two doing here?!" he croaked.

"There's nothing we can do." Connie struggled to get the sword somewhere it would fit. Which, given they were in a vehicle, was not an easy thing to do. "I thought I'd be able to do something to help when the time came, but...Ugh! All this training for nothing!"

Steven thought differently. "I think if I talked to Jasper I could explain everything. Tell her why we do what we do, but...She's always angry all the time! I don't think she'll listen..." Steven dug into his pocket and pulled out a paper that had been folded for far too long. It looked to Greg like a crayon drawing of them all holding hands and smiling, with 'Sorry we broke your ship!' in crayon across the top. "I've been carrying this around for  _weeks_."

Greg swallowed the lump in his throat. "Is Jasper the green robot, or the giant cheese puff?"

"Cheese puff."

"Right. Well. Buckle up." Greg went ahead and shifted gears. He could only pray that it was going to be a safe drive out of the city. "I know you're both upset, but if the Gems want you two somewhere safe, that's what we're going to do. It might be kind of crazy, so hang on tight and we'll— _Get down_!"

Neither Steven nor Connie even hesitated. All three of them  _dove_  beneath the dashboard, covering their heads with their fingers. What Greg had seen, the children felt. First one shot, then two, then three. Closer and closer, stronger and stronger. One fired close enough for the car to shake.

Then the shots became weaker, and all three of them risked a glance upwards. Right in front of them, they saw the destructions: smoking craters spotting the ground, great chunks of trees smoldering green. The acrid smell of smoke wafted into the van.

Then they saw Sapphire, zipping across the sand, and then, across the water. The ship was following her too closely for her to flee, but all three of them knew that it was a ploy. Sapphire  _wanted_  Jasper to chase her. But what concerned them was that there was no sign of Ruby or Opal anywhere. And, watching the way Sapphire's icy white path trailed over the waves, it became clear that this was the only plan: distract Jasper. And it wouldn't go on forever.

"Where are Ruby and Opal?" asked Greg.

Connie shook her head. "Sapphire said she had an idea, but..."

Steven had tuned the both of them out, keeping his eyes trained on Sapphire. Now, she was jumping up into the air in great arcs, far higher than any human could manage. He thought that maybe she was trying to evade the shots that sent salty steam up into the air, or the tractor beam that kept missing her by a hair, but then he saw that she was actually  _aiming_  for the ship.

"We've got to help her," he said. "She has a plan, but she needs help!"

Greg wiped the sweat from his brow. "Stu-ball, I think you should listen to what she said. You guys can't help with this one."

Connie agreed, however unhappy she was about it. "You heard her, Steven. The only way we can help is if there's a—"

The roof of the van gave a great  _THUMP_. Three hearts jumped up into three throats, but that was it. No pain, no breaking metal, nothing. Greg's breath came out shuddering. Steven realized he was gripping Connie's hand too hard and let go.

After a long enough stretch, Connie braved the look. She rolled the window down and slowly, cautiously, peeked her head out until she could see the roof of the van.

Then, she smiled. Widely.

"What is it?" asked Steven.

"A deus ex machina."

Steven gasped. "A mecha?!"

Still smiling: "That is  _still_  not what that word means."

* * *

Steven was correct in assuming that Sapphire had a plan, and he was partially correct in assuming that she needed some help.

Sapphire had come up with the idea to get the ship out over the ocean; she thanked Peridot's hand ship for the inspiration. And she had come up with the idea of trying to get the ship down, however hard it was going to be. As it was, the possibility of success was small, but there. And she had to hold onto it, dismissing all the what-ifs, the tiny details, the deus ex machinas.

Sapphire jumped high into the air once again. The tractor beam chased after her and failed. Sapphire counted her speed as a blessing, but knew just one small mistake would do her in. In any case, when the tractor beam failed, Jasper tried for another shot. That, too, missed, and so did Sapphire.

Over the siren and the blasts and the static, Jasper let out a crackling growl. "I'm trying to make this easier for you, you idiot! I was considering shattering you  _here_  instead of taking you back to let them do what they want with you!"

Sapphire chose not to respond, however, instead focusing on what Jasper's next move was going to be. Another blast? Another attempt to grab her in the tractor beam? She could miss, or she could get her target. Sapphire could go unharmed, or she could be shot down. She never liked to fight and look at the same time, but this time was necessity.

The reason she never liked to fight and look at the same time? Because, well, Sapphire could not predict so much in such a little amount of time. So, when Jasper instead decided to just  _lunge_  for her, Sapphire was unprepared. She just barely managed to get out of the ship's path before it crashed into the saltwater. The tidal waves swallowed her, tossing her in every direction.

Sapphire's feet went over her head, her body twisted in circles, and before she could pull herself together, she found herself in a tight, familiar hold. In one second, she was frozen still, one arm still outstretched, her hair still billowed out from the currents. Though she could see little before, now all she saw was green.

She was at first vaguely aware that she was moving, then  _very_  aware. She was pushed through the surface of the water, not even dripping, and then it didn't stop. Up and up she went, high above the water. With the ocean spread out below her, she saw the churning froth of the ship climbing from the depths. The green light that had her in its vice seemed to cut off before the water.

 _"I'm going to give you_ one _chance,"_  Jasper snarled.  _"Tell me where your traitor friends are or I will make_ sure _that you stick around for_ every. second. of this _."_

Then the vice was squeezing her. Crushing her. Sapphire choked, her voice strangled, but nothing she did was any good. She could only twitch and groan as every inch of her was crushed tighter and tighter, until she couldn't take it anymore and even past then. Her form would give out in just a few moments, and her Gem would soon follow.

Jasper only seemed annoyed in her suffering. "My patience is wearing thin. This is only going to end one way; make it easier for everyone."

Sapphire knew that this was...probably it. Whether she'd done her job or failed it, it didn't matter so much anymore. Once her form was gone, Jasper had her, and then the hunt for the others would continue. Probably she'd tear up the whole town just to do it. Maybe she could find Steven. Maybe she couldn't.

She barely heard Jasper scoff. _"At least you were traitor scum until the end. Can't say I'm not going to enjoy this."_

 _Just let it happen,_  Sapphire told herself through the pain,  _The only thing that's going to save you now is—_

Someone grabbed her.

— _Ooookay, nevermind._

In hindsight, it was almost comical how quickly the pain went away. Sapphire was sure the dumbstruck look on her face was laughable. But, as it were, the person with a grip on her arm spared her any chuckling.

They were falling through the air—or, well, landing, she supposed. Instead of splashing into saltwater once again, they landed with a grunt-worthy thud on the surface.

 _Opal_ , Sapphire thought at once, but it was not the fusion's face who greeted her as she turned around.

Connie, through some feat of balance and dexterity, managed to get Sapphire settled on Lion's back with the sword still gripped in her hand. In front of her was Steven. He had handfuls of the feline's wild pink mane, but Lion didn't seem bothered. In fact, as he crouched down on his haunches, the waves just barely rippling beneath his paws, Sapphire would have said that the animal was  _glaring_  in the ship's general direction.

Sapphire did not immediately process what was going on. Jasper didn't either, apparently, as the first next burst of static carried with it a very quiet,  _"Oh, what_  even _."_

"Sorry, Sapphire," Steven called over his shoulder. Lion was stalking forward. "We didn't have a mecha, but we figured this would do."

"That's..." And Sapphire found herself smiling. For the first time in far too long, she was smiling, teeth and all, laughter lacing her voice. Smiling because she'd been wrong, because she hadn't looked into the future enough to see this coming, but it was  _okay_. They could be okay. She tightened her arms around Connie's middle out of a sudden, overwhelming need to  _hug_  something, and she almost cried, "That's not what that word means!"

Connie and Steven both chuckled, and though it was a small moment of reprieve, it was still just a moment.

There was a great, sudden thrum from the ship, the sound of mechanisms clicking into place. Even in the tiny blinks almost too fast to see, the four of them could see something new coming to function on the ship.

Jasper did not growl, or snarl, or bark, or even so much as scoff at them. They could  _hear_  her smiling.

_"There you are...!"_

While Lion bared his fangs, his three riders hunkered down tight, wrapping their legs around Lion's middle and gripping his mane tighter. Steven took just a second to tell them, "Okay, I know we still need to install seatbelts, but buckle in!"

* * *

Many things were happening in Beach City at the moment. An invisible ship constructed of otherworldly technology hovered over the Northern bay, firing powerful blasts into the water and emitting a neon green beam at random. Below it, three people—a blue seer, a human girl holding a large pink sword, and a boy whose mother was the ship's pilot former enemy—rode upon a pink lion that could walk along the waves as he would solid land. A father was watching the entire fight from the shore, too distressed to decide whether to leave or stay. The last few stragglers of the city, including the Frymen due in no small part to the youngest son only relenting to leave by a fall of adrenaline, were making their way out by the command of the wailing siren.

While all this was going on, Ruby and Opal were on the sand of the beach, facing the twilit horizon. The irony was not lost on either of them.

In their defense, it wasn't as though they were just enjoying the view. They were huddled beneath the boardwalk among the discarded trash and shadowy sand. Neither of them were sitting, more squatting in a ready-to-go position.

They decided to take Sapphire's advice. After all, the entire city was at stake, including the half-human boy they loved. So, the two of them decided to get somewhere quiet and safe, sit down, and talk about the unspoken thing between them at long last.

They had made minimal progress.

'Minimal' here meaning 'not even a little.'

It was Opal who first broke the silence. She sounded oddly flat, as if she wasn't even  _sure_  if she was supposed to be annoyed or not. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"I guess I'll go first," Ruby said, immediately followed by the realization that she had no idea what she was doing. She settled on what seemed like a fitting, but horribly stilted, "I'm...sorry."

"Yeah." Opal clicked her tongue. "Yeah, I know."

"Yeah. I know you know. I just..." Ruby pretended to clear her throat. Somewhere off in the distance, she heard the very quiet sound of something bursting. It made her and Opal both stiffen, and Ruby spoke as if rushed. "I don't know what else I can say. You have to...You have to tell me what I can do to make it up to you."

"You can't 'make it up to me'." Opal almost rolled her eyes at the phrasing, but decided that no, maybe she shouldn't do that. She continued, "When you 'make something up' to someone, it's either to show that you're really sorry, or to get their trust back. I know you're sorry, and...I still trust you. Even after what you did, I still trust you."

Ruby blinked at her when she said this, only stopping when yet another blast resounded. Opal noticed how the much smaller Gem's hand grabbed a fistful of sand. She saw the little bits of glass that poked from between her red fingers.

Opal went on, "I'm not happy with what you did, but..." Opal pinched her brow and took a breath. "Look, what you did was not okay, and I'm not really ever going to  _be_  okay with it, but I've known you long enough to know that it was a mistake. I know you would never intentionally hurt me."

Ruby finally let go of the sand. A clump of glass was left behind. When another blast rang from the distance, Opal and Ruby more or less forced themselves not to mind it.

Ruby said something a last, a soft little, "Then why...?"

"We should have talked about this before." Opal waved a hand around vaguely, just in the general direction of literally everything that was happening around them. "I mean,  _obviously_ , but still. The reason I was angrier than I probably would have been was because of something you really didn't do. I know that sounds weird, but just know that if it hadn't happened, I would have forgiven you sooner. Most likely. I don't know, it's such a messed-up situation..."

"Um..." Ruby coughed unnecessarily again. "Is it something you want to talk about? 'Cause we can. I mean, I know we're supposed to be talking about something else but wecantalkabouttwothingsIdon'tknow..."

Here it was Opal's turn to take a handful of sand. Though she gripped it for a moment, feeling the grains shift and slip between her fingers, she found herself letting it all cascade from her palm. Ruby was watching her, but she didn't say anything. Yet another far-off hum had her glancing upwards, but that was it.

Opal hadn't expected to be talking about this, but Opal hadn't talked about a lot of things. She hadn't talked to anyone else about what had happened with the mirror. She hadn't talked to anyone about the fight between Amethyst and Pearl. There was a long stretch of time after Steven was born that she didn't talk much about anything. So this would be a change, she guessed.

Once she started talking, she felt something peculiar. Relief, but it wasn't the relief of sinking into warm water. It was a painful relief with the feeling of being drained. Every word seemed to sap away at her strength, but she knew she had to get it out of her, just to get everything over and done with.

"When I was at the Kindergarten," she began, and already she felt Ruby tense at her side, "down in the lab, the...the hidden place, or whatever, where we found all the...You know. I was really scared. Really, really scared, and I didn't know what to do." She gave a small, bitter laugh. "You know how I do. I froze up. I couldn't function. I...I..."

Opal once again pinched her brow. Ruby's hand twitched on the sand, unsure of whether to touch the fusion or not. Opal herself didn't know if she would have welcomed it.

"Steven needed me, but I still stayed frozen. I was on autopilot, I wasn't thinking straight. So, while I was with it, in that chute-tunnel-thing, I was...I was pulled into it." Ruby only frowned at this, a very innocent and confused frown that had Opal curling a hand into a fist. "When all the shards were taking form, they tried to take me with them. They tried to make me fuse with them. I was drowning, and I—"

"Opal, Opal...Hey." Ruby's hands twitched again, and even still she did not seem to know what to do. Opal took comfort in the fact that she did not gasp or scream or fret at her confession. There was horror in Ruby's eyes, of course, but they were contained in there. When she finally settled a hand on Opal's forearm, the fusion was surprised to find that the red Gem's hand was not shaking. "You don't have to keep talking about it. It's okay, I get it. I'm...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Opal nodded, and when another loud blast of  _something_  rang out from  _somewhere_ , they truly didn't give it any mind. One of Opal's hands reached up and stroked down her calf. Ruby kept her hand where it was.

"So," Opal continued, like moving on to a new subject, "When what happened between us happened, it reminded me of that. It wasn't exactly the same, but both of those times, I didn't feel like  _me_. And I don't like not feeling like me. And I guess I was just so angry that some part of me was pretending that you did it on purpose, that you knew and wanted to hurt me. But of course you didn't."

Ruby nodded without saying anything in response. She had justified Opal's anger before, but now she truly couldn't comprehend that at some point, she had felt bad for  _herself_. Suddenly, that entire day she spent with Greg and Doug went sour. A whole day, woe-is-me, I'm-such-a-bad-person-that-even-I-don't-like me.

Ever the empath, Opal tapped on Ruby's hand. "Like I said, that wasn't your fault. It just made what happened worse."

Ruby nodded again.

"If you don't mind me asking, though," Opal went on, "What got you so mad? I mean, you get mad a lot,  _but_  usually you keep it in, so what happened?"

"I don't even know," Ruby heaved. "I really don't. I guess I was so angry with..."

Ruby waved around her with both hands. Opal nodded in understanding.

"I guess I got so used to thinking we were safe that all this stuff just seems so much worse, you know? Especially since Steven's involved now. Especially after I found out about..."

Opal didn't urge her to go on. She had to admit that in all those terrible memories of the war

—the shards, her friends, the light in the sky—

—that she kept locked away in some dark part of her mind, she'd thrown in her memory of what Homeworld had done to the Rubies in with them. That was one of the hardest experiences in Opal's life. As if the knowledge that an entire line of Gem, even the ones  _straight_  from the ground, were destroyed just so they could possess bigger, stronger suits of armor wasn't enough...Ruby came along.

And they had to keep it a secret. They came up with detours. They told her that Homeworld didn't make Rubies on Earth. They told her that the reason they stopped showing up in the armies was because they wanted the stronger ones instead. They came up with excuses to keep her away from  _them_ , the suits, the things that had the minds and souls of Rubies but just weren't.

She'd forgotten in everything that had been happening that Ruby had found out.

Opal caved in and set a hand on the cloud of Ruby's hair. Her only response to the touch was a blink.

"I think we should be wrapping this up, huh?"

Ruby nodded again. She wasn't meeting Opal's eyes, instead staring down at her lap.

"Things have gotten pretty bad as of late," Opal under-stated. "Both of us have been...very  _informed_  of this. But you need to realize what I realized a while back—you can't let it control you. If you do, then you might end up hurting the people you care about. You won't feel like you anymore. It can be hard, but you have to be strong. And you have us. Not just me, but Sapphire and Steven, too. We all need to be there for each other, especially now."

Ruby, once again, nodded without speaking. But she reached up and placed a hand on top of Opal's. When Opal's fingers curled into the kinky locks of dark hair, Ruby's did the same. Opal hadn't noticed the water lining Ruby's eyes until she was blinking them away.

The next sound, a reverberating  _boom_  that carried over the air, was the one to break the moment. The period at the end of a sentence and the turning of a page. Ruby stood to her feet first, while Opal pushed herself up to her knees. Both hesitated to leave the sanctuary of the underbelly of the boardwalk.

"I know Sapph said it was the only way," said Ruby, hesitantly, "but if you don't want to, then I don't want to."

"I'm okay with it," said Opal, and she didn't even feel the need to add any 'buts' or 'ifs'. Ruby understood now; she knew that.

So, just as the background music of blasts and hums and booms shifted into sudden, jarring cacophony, Ruby held out her hand to Opal, Gem-up. An offering. And Opal took it.

* * *

There weren't many things happening beneath the boardwalk in that moment. Physically, at least. In other terms, broken seams were being mended, two close friends were coming to a new understanding of each other, and a long chapter of self-reflection, crushing tension, and many other not-very-comfortable but still very real things was coming to a close.

Elsewhere in Beach City, there wasn't much happening. Emotionally, at least.

In other terms, a great pink Lion was bounding across the ocean waves, an ancient ship from beyond the stars just like its pilot was raining down hellfire, and three teammates were trying to turn the tides of a battle.

To be more specific, Sapphire, Connie, Steven, and Lion were having quite an ordeal on their hands. Keeping up with the ship wasn't that much of a problem anymore, not really. Even if the invisibility cloak wasn't malfunctioning, the nonstop rain of energy blasts and attempted tractor beams were giveaways. Even so, the best they could manage was pure and simple avoiding.

Connie and Steven knew, even when they were running on adrenaline, that them fighting Jasper in the ship was different than Sapphire or any other Gem doing it. If Sapphire got hit, her form would disappear only to come back later. If Connie or Steven got hit...something else would happen. So every time a blast struck too close, or they almost got caught in the tractor beam, there was a wave of tension, a moment of apprehension.

Jasper, of course, was reaching the end of her very short rope. Her voice wouldn't stop blaring out, each word dripping with venom.  _"That new form is going to get you killed, Rose Quartz! Get rid of it so I can do it myself!"_

A jet of neon fire came down so close, too close. The sudden, burning pain in his right leg had Steven thinking for just a second that he'd been hit point-blank. But it'd just seared the water.

" _I knew you'd use humans eventually. I thought you were better than using a young one. You never fail to disgust me."_

The next quick shot of energy, and Connie raised Rose's sword. The blade glinted a dull orange in the twilight, then sharp green as she brought it down.

The sword cut through the raw energy without resistance, leaving nothing but a quick, burning cloud for them all to flinch away from. Sapphire was feeling more and more useless by the second—she wasn't willing to leave the children on Lion, but she couldn't do anything on him, either.

Sunstone, Sapphire knew, was still there biggest hope. Their ace. If Sunstone came, stable and willing, there was an almost perfect chance that she could take care of the ship single-handedly. If Opal and Ruby finally came together in understanding, it would make Sunstone even stronger than before. And Sapphire pinned much of her hope on the four-armed firecracker making her appearance again.

But Sapphire was not a naïve person, and she never put all her faith on chances. So,  _if_ Sunstone did not return,  _if_ it was only the three of them against Jasper, she would have to compromise.

Hence, Sapphire put into motion Plan B, alternatively titled Plan M'kay-We're-Just-Going-to-Have-to-Cross-Our-Fingers-and-See-How-This-Goes.

" _Get her first,"_ Jasper went on, and the three Crystal Gems wondered if she even meant to say it over the speakers. She sounded as though she was mumbling to herself.  _"Get her first…Get her first, fusion next…Take the Ruby and the Sapphire…Leave the human…Get her first…"_

Steven heard everything, and once again he was reminded that Jasper was a different kind of threat. He was Jasper's number-one target. He had a special bullseye on his forehead that the others didn't. He wished, he  _wished,_ he could get a hold of the Homeworld Gem and get it through to her that he was not his mother.

Lion never stopped moving. He was leading them further and further away from the City, at least a mile from the land, and there was no telling when it was going to end. Sapphire reached over and grabbed Steven's shirt, pulling his attention to her.

"Get Lion over the ship," Sapphire instructed him. "Just trust me on this; I need to get above Jasper."

Steven didn't question her. Sapphire went to Connie next, telling her, "Once we're up there, I need you to use the sword to…" but after that, another barrage of power came down, and Steven leaned as close as he could to Lion's ear.

"Get us on top, Lion!"

Even though he'd gone MIA for longer than Steven had recalled him doing, Lion was as helpful as ever: without stopping, he let out a powerful roar, pink shockwaves shooting forward and collecting into a bright portal. His riders held on tight, and saltwater gave way to nothing but passing wind.

As always, the other side of the portal came faster than could be prepared for. In just a second, they were all freefalling through the open air. But Lion's paws landed surely, even if the surface beneath it remained as unseeable as ever. It really did look as though they were all hovering high above the ocean's surface.

"Now, Connie," Sapphire cried.

But Jasper was faster, and the entire ship lurched. The sudden tug to the right had all of them gasping, and if it wasn't for Lion's claws digging in, they would have all went tumbling.

" _What is this?!"_ Jasper snapped.

Connie jumped for the chance. While the ship was still darting, she clamored off Lion's back and swung the sword down. Through some combination of the girl's strength and the blade's sharpness, it bit deep into the invisible alloy. The sword looked as if it just cut off short in thin air, the only giveaway otherwise being a few spitting sparks.

The ship lurched left, right, up, down, one direction after the next, sudden and strong, never a rhythm. While Sapphire and Steven kept their hold on Lion, Connie anchored herself down with the sword. Limbs and hair were tossed every which way. A growl of annoyance rumbled through Lion's body. At the very least, Jasper seemed unable to flip the ship upside-down, though she came close. At one point, the ship hit at least a seventy-degree angle that really, really made stomachs drop.

At last, Jasper murmured a terse,  _"Fine, then. Don't say I didn't warn you."_

The ship began to soar upwards, and upwards, and upwards, so fast the wind rushed by their ears. Not only did the distance between them and the ocean grow, but Beach City itself began to shrink. It took until it becoming the size of Steven's forearm for him to decide to just stop looking down.

The climb upwards was nausea-inducing, but the ship remained even. So, even though it lacked any grace, Sapphire and Steven both half-stumbled, half-crawled over to help Connie. Steven had realized now what the plan was, at least enough to help: he grabbed the sword with Connie, and the two of them pulled as hard as they could. The sound of ripping metal was awful, and sparks danced across their knees, but it worked. Once the slash was big enough, they pulled the sword out and began again, created a jagged 'L.'

The ship lurched once again, and by the laughter that rang from the ship, it was just a joke. That didn't stop Connie and Steven from yelling out in shock, or Sapphire from grabbing their arms with an iron grip. Lion, with his claws digging in with every step, crawled his way over to them. He was crouched and ready to grab any of them at a moment's notice.

" _You're on a time limit, Rose,"_ Jasper chuckled. The sound made the hair on the back of Steven's neck stand straight.  _"You know as well as I do the human isn't going to survive this."_

Sapphire helped with the next slice, quick and strong. They had managed to make a sloppy triangle, at least from what they could tell—but it was shallow, certainly not enough to pierce through the ship's shell.

This is where Sapphire came in. One knuckleduster appeared on her fist, and both Steven and Connie scrambled back into Lion. Sapphire raised her hand high and brought it down as hard as she could.

There was a spray of sparks, chips of metal flying up into the air. Past the whistling of the wind, Steven and Connie both heard and felt the great  _THUMP._ The giant, gaping hole left behind was jarring to see. The rest of the ship remained as invisible as ever, so although it looked as though there was literally nothing but air between them and the ocean  _far_ down below, there was now a gaping, black hole between them. The fact that it had depth, exposing the innards of the ship, was even more unsettling.

Sapphire had Connie drop in first, then Steven. And, yet again, a very jarring change. At the very least, being miles above their town was a fact easier to take when they didn't have to  _look_  at it. The inside of the ship was really about what they were expecting—cold, metallic, lit by bars of neon green light. It wasn't very large, just about eight feet between the floor and ceiling, the walls close together. To Connie and Steven it was, of course, a foreign sight, but for Sapphire, she found recognition in the architecture, the mechanics.

All these observations were made in seconds, of course, in favor of turning attention to the Homeworld Gem who was the cause of all this.

Jasper was already facing them when they dropped in. She hadn't changed at all—still startlingly huge, still draped with the cobalt cape, eyes still a hot, angry yellow. Her large hands were curled into fists. Her top lip was snarled away from her white teeth. Behind her, the dusky sky and gray clouds zipped by on something more of a computer screen than a window.

For once, Jasper did not bite out some kind of insult, or taunt, or sneer. She just glared down at them all. If Steven didn't know any better, he'd say that she looked tired.

Connie held the blade out to Jasper. Sapphire summoned her other knuckleduster. Lion dropped down behind them. Steven tried to summon his shield, failed, and held up his fists instead.

"I don't know what your plan is," said Jasper, as the sky darkened to the point where Steven worried the stars would show soon, "but you won't win this fight."

Steven spoke before anyone could stop him. "We don't want to fight you, Jasper! But we won't let you win!"

Jasper rolled her eyes. "Aaaand you're s _till_ keeping that up. 'I don't want to fight! I just want to ruin everything, brainwash Gems into doing as I say, and get countless of Gems shattered!' I have a question: are you willingly being ignorant, or is that just natural to you?"

"I'm not Rose Quartz," Steven told her. "And that's not true! We won't do anything to you if you just—"

"I'm not going to believe you, Rose," Jasper scoffed, and now she truly  _did_ sound tired. "I have no reason to. After everything you did…To me. To  _us._ To—"

"Get away from the controls, Jasper," Sapphire barked out. Beside her, Lion took a prowling warning step forward. A low growl, and Connie gripped her sword tighter.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" Though as cold as ever, Jasper's voice was laced with some genuine interest. "None of you are strong enough to take me on. Especially not when you look like that. Especially not the human; I still don't know why you brought it. And if I do? I'd guess you would fly the ship back, but uh…" Jasper clicked her tongue. "You've already proven you're not very  _skilled_ in that area."

Connie and Steven exchanged a knowing, somewhat uneasy look. Jasper was right. Even though they had come inside the ship, and even though two of them had weapons at the ready, they didn't stand a chance. Even if they went at her all at once, one strong hit from Jasper was all it would take for any of them. Too big a battle, and the ship would come crashing down.

Sapphire, even though she kept her fists up, took advantage of the little window to think of something.

Ignore the details.

Ignore the deux-ex-machinas.

…Actually…

To Steven and Connie, it looked like Sapphire had just frozen (no pun intended, though it did occur to both of them). Jasper's glare gave way for just a second, blinking at the small blue Gem and glancing between the others in a sort of 'Is she okay?' fashion.

Finally, Jasper just sighed. "Look. Do what you want. I'll let you take the first hit, even if it isn't going to help you at all."

Sapphire moved at last to bump her elbow against Steven's. "Give me your phone."

Steven did not understand, of course, and it was his turn to blink at Sapphire. Then Connie. Then Lion. But he obliged, digging into his pocket and handing it over to Sapphire. Jasper raised a brow, but said nothing. She probably didn't even know what a phone was.

Sapphire clicked a few buttons before giving it back to Steven. Then she side-stepped to Lion and whispered something in his ear. Even  _Lion_ did a double-take at the request, which earned him a little swat on the ear until he grumbled in agreement. Again she said something to Connie that Steven did not make out, but the girl at least had the grace to just nod in response.

While Sapphire stepped over to him next, he watched Jasper's face. She was watching them, and she must have known they were making some sort of plan, but she didn't seemed bothered by it. She was confident enough to just shrug it off.

"Just trust me," Sapphire told him.

She raised her hand—Jasper didn't even flinch—and swung it down.

Lion pounced with his fangs and claws flashing. Jasper's arms came up in a moment's notice, ready to grab, ready to strike. For a moment, she looked more of a lion than he did.

But Jasper was not clawed or bitten. She wasn't touched at all. Lion completely missed her in favor of the controls.

His claws tore through metal and machine as easily as a knife through butter. Sparks and fire lit up the air, warning tones bleeped and rang. The very few silver stars in the velvety blue sky gave way into stark, bright red. Symbols took up the screen, and though neither Steven nor Connie could read them, they took a fair guess that it said something along the lines of 'WARNING!'

Jasper whipped around to them, eyes wide, teeth bared. "What are you  _doing?!"_

Then she was scrambling to grab a hold of something as, slowly but surely, the ship slowed down, down, and down, and began to  _drop._ Nausea hit Steven like a train; as if the contents of his stomach were being tossed up inside of him. Connie felt it just as hard, and hurried to grab a hold of Lion.

Sapphire's fists beat down into the floor. Pearly white frost shot out on impact, firing across the floor, straight for Jasper. Still surprised, Jasper was too slow to react. The frost crept right under her boots, and from it, ice sprouted out in jagged peaks. It grew higher and faster until Jasper's boots were taken into a hard, cold shell. The frozen spikes were almost too sharp to look at.

Jasper tugged, but it wasn't enough. Her foot didn't even budge. Another, same thing. Growls and snarls, each one stronger than the last, came from her throat like the crackling of a growing fire. Or, more fitting, like the ticking of a bomb.

A sudden roar from Lion made Steven jump. A portal was already open for them. Connie was already scrambling onto Lion's back.

Sapphire all but threw him up, too, and followed even when Steven was still lying on his belly across Lion's back. Just barely hanging on, all she gave was a quick "Trust me!"

Then Lion jumped, and they were gone.

* * *

Many things were happening in Beach City at the moment, and Greg was all too aware of this.

Even though it pained him, he had let Steven and Connie get atop Lion and ride on him into the fray. From his place, still in the van, he had watched their distant figures come to Sapphire's aid, had watched the four of them dance around the ship and its attacks farther and farther away, had watched as a pink blip of a portal had appeared, had watched them all land on thin air far above the ocean, and had watched them vanish, the only sign of any action being a stir in the clouds.

And now he was alone, standing in the parking lot of It's a Wash, wringing his hands together. He could very well be the last person in Beach City, a fact that he took no comfort in.

Maybe he should have stopped them. He was trying so very hard to be supportive, he was, but letting your son and his friend throw themselves into battle with a levitating war machine was easier said than done.

"Come on, buddy," he was muttering to himself. "Come on, buddy…Come on, buddy…"

A hand touched down on his shoulder, and Greg jumped a foot in the air.

It wasn't actually a hand—or, well, it  _was,_ but only a finger. Suddenly Greg was looking up at a  _very tall_ person, with peachy-red skin, countless freckles, four arms, and four eyes. Even though his mind was still pumping on adrenaline, he was familiar with her pointed nose, the fluffy hair, and (most tellingly) the Gems that spotted her forehead and chest.

"Calm down," she said, and the hand she held up had yet another Gem, just to confirm his suspicions. "It's me. Do you know where the others are?"

Greg swallowed a lump the size of a baseball. His voice was about as cracked as broken glass as he pointed up at the sky and said, "They're on the ship. I mean—uh—they're  _on_ the ship. I don't know…Sapphire was with them…"

Sunstone blinked at this, and turned her gaze skywards. Even if the ship had its invisibility disabled, she doubted she would have seen it. The sky now held only a few slivers of orange on its horizons, everything else a palette of purples, blues, and grays. Stars were beginning to peek out.

"Well," Sunstone thought aloud, "Now that I'm here, what am I supposed to—?"

Down below, a chime went off from Greg's pocket. He fumbled to pull his phone out, but once he saw the screen, he went still. His confusion seemed to take over his panic, because he was much calmer when he held the phone upwards and called, "I think it's for you!"

Sunstone let him drop it into her palm. With it being so small and her eyes being so big, she had to squint all four eyes just to see the message.

_2 SUNSTIEB:_

_CATCH_

Sunstone blinked once again. "'Sunstieb'?"

Greg pounded a fist against her foot. To him, he worried it was too rough, but all she felt was a flutter. "I think that is  _also_  for you…"

Sunstone looked upwards once again, and stood up straight.

Now she definitely saw the ship—falling down towards Beach City at probably a hundred miles an hour. In the darkness of the sky, its shape was hard to see, but everything else was unmistakable. So far it was falling, and so quickly, that feathers of orange flame danced along its edges. It was practically a bullet shot straight down for Beach City.

"Greg," she said, "get under something!"

Greg didn't even hesitate. By the time she had jumped into the air, he had already crawled back inside his van.

The ground zoomed further and further away from her feet, and wind whipped all across her body, but Sunstone kept her eyes locked on her target. She was strong, she was fast, she was Sunstone, but she had doubts. She hesitated. She saw the fire and the weight and speed and felt apprehension curling in her fingers.

 _No,_ she told herself,  _you can do it._

_You can do it._

_You can do it._

_You can do it._

_You can do it._

Meeting the ship was rough, sudden, rattling, all-encompassing, and more than a little painful. The force with which they hit was almost explosive. Her hands closed around what they could grab, however searing hot it was. Though she felt herself shoving it back, she also felt, if only for a moment, that it had shot right through her and split her apart in every direction.

But it was over as soon as it started. Afterwards, it was a straight descent back down, and it probably looked as fast as a bullet to others, but after what she just did, she felt as though she was drifting down. She surprised herself with how lightly she managed to land. Not even a crack in the ground.

At some point during this, Greg was surprised yet again by a pink light appearing right beside him. From it jumped Lion, and on his back the three he'd been so worried about. Steven and Connie both looked green in the face, but Sapphire got down on her feet at once. She had just managed to watch Sunstone grab a hold of the ship and force it back.

Down once more, Sunstone did not let up her grip at all. The ship, as it turned out, was shaped somewhat like an inverted triangle. As with most Gem technology, it was hard to tell which part of it was what. In any case, it had been through quite a bit, covered in cracks, parts of its shell missing. The invisibility cloak had just given out.

While the others kept their focus on the ship, Steven couldn't help himself: he saw Sunstone, and he felt an overwhelming, all-consuming joy. If Sunstone was there, then that meant that it was over. Ruby and Opal had finally ended it. Home would be home again, they could go back to the way things were. It had only been a few weeks, but man if he didn't just feel like dancing.

He didn't hold back, throwing his arms into the air and screaming, "Wooooooo! Sunstoooooone!"

Sunstone let out a very shaky breath before returning the fanfare with a cool smile. "Hi again."

Greg's relief was almost incomparable to Steven's, but it was there regardless. He let out a deep breath, clapped a hand down on Steven's shoulder, and called, "Good work, you two! Uh…Three!"

Sapphire had known, while they were facing off with Jasper in the ship, that Sunstone had arrived. Almost every future she'd seen involved her. In a few, she did not hold her form long enough. But in so many, she did, and Sapphire had decided to put all faith in her friends. This was such a specific outcome for her—so specific she had doubted it had even the tiniest of percentages of happening—but it was real, and…Sapphire felt good.

"Woooooo!" Steven went on. "Gooooo Sunstooooo—I feel queasy. I'm going to lie down. I feel bad."

While Steven lied down in a fetal position, Sapphire sighed and allowed herself a small smile. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "Jasper's in there! Take care of her!"

"Gotcha, Blue!"

Sunstone went to fiddling with the ship as best as she could. Her fingers scraped and grabbed all along the metal for some kind of purchase. She wondered if she should just crack it open like an egg.

Steven was taking deep breaths—"It's okay," Greg was telling him, "I was involved in a car chase, trust me; this helps."—and Connie chuckled as she sat down beside him. She let the sword rest on the ground beside her. She was honestly a little disappointed she hadn't been able to put it to full use, but she knew her time would come. Besides, she would have hated for her first major victory to happen while she was still in her pajamas.

"Told you it'd be okay," Connie teased.

"Yeah," Steven burped.

Connie wrinkled her nose, but kept her smile. "If you green all over the ground, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our secret."

And there was that word again. Secret.

The thought of Star, as it always did, gave Steven a sort of pang in his chest. They were a chapter that was yet unfinished. Weeks had passed, and still he hadn't spoken a word. He'd been using this as an explanation. Or an excuse, more like…

But no longer. He would tell them. He would tell all of them. No more secrets.

For now, he replied with mushing his hand against Connie's cheek. She laughed and pushed it away. "Stooop! And who says 'green'?"

" _I_ says green." Connie punctuated it with a raspberry.

Lion's nose bumped against Steven's neck and huffed. Steven reached up and scratched along his fur, earning him a rare purr in response. "Hey, buddy! Where have you been?"

Lion just yawned in response, which Steven took to mean that he had an adventure. It didn't matter; he was just happy to have him back.

In their conversation, Sunstone had finally managed to split the ship open. Almost perfectly in half, too, albeit with the obvious broken pieces and stray debris. Connie and Steven kept playing around, blowing raspberries and poking at each other's faces, but Greg braced himself. He was not much looking forward to seeing the face that had hurt his son.

"Uh…Sapphire?" Sunstone tipped both halves of the ships and shook them as if it would help. "She's not in here."

And if  _that_ didn't just ruin the mood.

Sapphire stood up pin-straight and said, so quietly Sunstone couldn't hear, "What?"

Then everything went white.

All movement, all senses, it all came to a sudden, jarring stop. In one moment, Steven was swimming in a void, neither awake nor asleep.

There was no difference in closing his eyes or opening them. Any attempt to move was for naught. He felt as weightless as lying down on his bed.

Everything came back to him in slow flashes, and the first thing he saw was darkness.

No, not darkness, the sky. The sky, and the stars. He had been on the ground before, but now he was on his back, his face tilted towards the sky.

One of the gray clouds was moving around. Very quickly. Too quickly. Maybe that wasn't a cloud.

" _I warned you this wouldn't end well."_

Even in the fog of his mind, Steven managed to think,  _Oh, come ON._

He couldn't even get a sense of where Jasper's voice was coming from. It could have been from below him, for all he knew.

"What…?" That was Sapphire. He wanted to say she was ahead of him, but he couldn't. The only thing he could make sense of was the sky, the stars, and the one peculiar cloud. "How…?"

" _Well, let me explain."_ Every word was oozing sarcasm.  _"You see—and you're going to want to hold on, because this might shock you—but all Gems have this_ amazing  _ability to change their forms as they please. It's almost as if your little ice trick was entirely…_ idiotic."

Sapphire, again: "You've _got_ tobekiddingme…"

"Jasper…!" Opal's voice was stronger, but not strong. "What did you—?"

" _You get three guesses, and the first two don't count."_

It was Ruby who supplied it. From the sound, she had her face pressed into the dirt. "Stupid…flipping… _escape pods…"_

" _Eeeexactly. Got to admit, I thought you'd see this coming. Especially the_ Sapphire _. I've really got to stop putting faith in any of you. Anyways…"_

Steven's vision went green all over. The stars and clouds shifted above him, but he didn't feel a thing.

Still, he could hear. He heard his name being called, in fear, in confusion. He heard groans of effort. A snarled  _"JASPER!"_

" _I've had enough of all of this,"_ Jasper went on.  _"The rest of you I'll leave. You'll be taken care of eventually. Fusion, I'll make sure you get special treatment. But_ this  _one comes with me. I've been waiting thousands of years for this. I'm not waiting a second more."_

Steven heard every word of it, but there was a background white noise. Still his name, still Jasper's, but now there were pleads, exclamations. The sound of limbs trying and failing to get themselves upright.

Somewhere, a camera whined up to power. Then it flashed. And that was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember you can go to osrasaskblog.tumblr.com for more info on the fic. :)


	11. The Bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven finds himself stuck with some unfriendly company. Or, rather, the unfriendly company is stuck with him.

"Steven...?"

"Steven."

"Steven, you need to wake up."

"No, not like—"

"Steven, you need to really wake up. Come on."

Steven would have said he opened his eyes, but they were already open.

He was standing upright, which struck him as odd. He was wearing an apron, which struck him as odd. And he was in a building he didn't recognize, which struck him as odd. The familiar orb of dark light hovering before him sealed the idea that yes, this was a dream.

For once, looking around his environment, he did not feel uneasy or wary. This was not a twilit forest or a cliff that overlooked oblivion. It was a simple bakery, and somehow the normalcy in that made it stranger. It was actually quite nice. Everything was in warm hues of yellows and oranges, the lights in the ceiling giving off a homey glow. There were wooden chairs at wooden tables, all empty. The front window even had letters spelling out the bakery's name, but Steven couldn't even dream (pun unintended) of figuring out what they said.

Really, the only bad thing about it all was that, past the windows, there was nothing but nothing. Almost like a very thick fog, but there was nothing for it to cover.

"Steven," Star said again, almost whining. "Come on. You need to wake up."

Steven looked down. His hands were kneading dough. Covered in flour. "Uh...What's going on?"

"How am I supposed to know?!" cried Star. "If you can't see it, I can't see it!"

"Wait, I was...We were all together with Jasper! What happened? Where—?"

"Listen, Steven." Star drifted closer. "The last thing I saw was green. I am assuming through context clues that you are not in a very good state right now."

"Oh, this isn't good." Steven curled his fingers in his hair, shaking his head. "Oh, man...What am I going to do?"

"Take a second to relax," Star advised. "Eat something."

"Oh!" Steven only then noticed the array of pastries the shop held. Donuts, cookies, little cakes, eclairs, bearclaws...They all looked a little too perfect. Not a drop of frosting was out of place. Not that he was going to let perfection stop him—Steven immediately swiped up a cupcake. "I didn't know I could eat in this place!"

While he took a giant chomp, Star asked, "How is it?"

"Tastes like nothin'," Steven tutted in disappointment. He swallowed his mouthful, and felt it dissipate halfway down his throat. He just tossed the rest of it over his shoulder and grabbed a cookie instead. "Here, you can have one."

"Ah. Well. Thank you." Star 'took' the cookie from him, i.e. the cookie hovered very closely to them without anything else happening to it. "I will...eat this."

Steven looked out into the oblivion. The pure white of it made him think about what had happened to him and the others, the great flash. He guessed Jasper had done that to them, a sort of stunning move. It had certainly gotten the job done.

"Ah, man, Star...It feels like we never get a break anymore."

Star removed a little bit of the cookie, apparently  _tried_  to eat it, only for it to drop to the floor. They sighed and let the rest follow. "Wish I could help, but uh...I'm still here. Still will be."

"Riiight. Listen, Star: I promise I'm going to let the others know about you soon. And we're going to see if we can help you. Just hang in a little while longer, alright?"

"Gotcha." Star hummed. "Hey, do you think I got a body somewhere?"

"You could! Why?"

"I want to go swimming," said Star. "I don't know why, I just really want to go swimming."

"Star, I swear on my heart, mind, and body that if you have a body, not only will I teach you how to swim, I will get you the cutest duck floaty ever."

"I don't know what that is, but I want it. I'm going to hold you to that. Now, get yourself together! You've got to get back out there."

"Right." The door flew open right at that moment, ringing the bell on top. No one came in, no one went out. The pearly portal of consciousness had appeared once again. Steven had come to welcome its presence at this point, honestly.

So he walked to the other side of the counter, untying his apron and politely hanging it on the back of a chair. Star lingered where they were. When Steven turned to wave, they darted side-to-side in return. Then he walked out, and the door swung shut beside him.

000000000000000000000000

He woke up for real the next time, and it wasn't a pleasant experience.

For starters, his vision was swimming so much he probably couldn't have seen his hand in front of his face. There was something, somewhere, bright green. A headache was jackhammering at his temples. More than anything, he felt so unbelievably tired that he couldn't even think about moving.

He probably sank back into unconsciousness several times. It felt like hours before he could finally muster up the energy just to turn his head. It more or less just rolled on his shoulders.

He was correct in that the place was small, green, and mechanical. But it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought. While his headache eased away and his senses came crawling back to him, Steven was managing to put pieces together. The seat he was in was only one in a circle. Probably around ten in total, just by a guess. It was a tight area, and though it did have large windows, they were blacked-out.

Steven pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around once again. He was the only person there. No strangers, and certainly no family. Though he still didn't know exactly what had happened, he had just assumed that all the others would be there when he awoke.

Tentatively, Steven got to his feet. It occurred to him then that the room had no doors, entirely enclosed. So, curious and confused, he went to one of the windows and pressed a hand against it. When that didn't do anything, he knocked instead.

There was change, but not much. Flat darkness gave way to darkness spotted with little white dots. Little,  _moving_ white dots.

Thus, Steven's suspicion was confirmed; he was on the escape pod Jasper had taken from the ship.

Just as a little punctuation to that, Jasper made her appearance.

It happened in a very short second—a diamond-shaped panel in the ceiling gave away, Jasper dropped in with a thunderous  _THUMP,_ the panel closed back, and he and Jasper were alone.

Surprisingly, Steven did not feel the immediate grip of fear he probably should. He really just felt  _confused_ more than anything, a fact that could probably be contributed to the expression on Jasper's face: not murderous, not furious, not twisted with the pure hatred. Just…coldly calm.

She did not lunge for him. She didn't even come closer. She turned and sat down on one of the seats across from him—as big as she was, she took up about three seats alone—then set her foot on her other knee and draped her arms over the backs.

She didn't say a word.

So, after much too long of just staring at one another in silence, Steven broke the very thick ice by saying, very simply, "Hi."

Jasper blinked at him.

Steven looked out of the window again. With how it was angled, he couldn't see the ground below them. He couldn't even guess where they could be.

"Where are we going?" Steven asked.

Jasper blinked at him.

Steven swallowed a lump in his throat. Now the fear was beginning to seep into him. Not only was he alone with Jasper—who had not only hurt him before, but had made it abundantly clear that she wished for him and his friends to be caught, tortured, and  _shattered_ —but there probably was no one for miles around who could help them. The best he could do was hope that Sapphire was trying to see where they were going, but even that was a bit of a long shot.

When he sat down, figuring he really didn't have anything else to do, he made sure to move slowly and calmly. It probably didn't matter, because Jasper's face didn't even shift in the slightest.

"Is someone flying the ship?" Steven asked.

Jasper didn't speak a word. Her hard glare pinned on him was making him shrink in his seat.

And yet...this was the first time where he could actually  _talk_  to Jasper. No one was fighting. If there was a time limit, Steven didn't even know what it was. There was no one there to tell him it was a bad idea; so he just decided that it was.

He swallowed again and began, "My name is Steven."

Jasper blinked at him again, a bit slower. The skin around her eyes twitched.

Steven continued, "I know you're super mad. I know you're  _suuuuuuuper_  mad, because you gave me a black eye and poofed one of my friends and threw my other friends in jail and then fought my first friend again and then tried to poof three of my friends in a giant ship and then you came into my town in the same ship and tried to attack us all again and, really, you've just made it verbally clear several times now that you do  _not_  like me—" Steven took a deep breath of air when his face began to turn blue. "—buuuuut I just want to...talk to you."

This time, Jasper didn't even so much as blink.

"I know that the Crystal Gems and Homeworld fought each other a long time ago, and I know that it was a really long war and a lot of bad things happen. I don't really know everything about what happened, but I trust my family, and they say that Homeworld is a bad place that makes Gems do bad things...Or, uh the Gems are just bad...Something about Homeworld is bad! I don't know! I need to ask more questions! But—anyway—all I'm saying is that maybe if you listen, you'll see that  _we_  aren't the bad guys, and then maybe we can—"

The ship suddenly lurched forward, and Steven went stumbling to the floor. He was very aware that they were now rocketing, the way it felt on a climbing rollercoaster, a car that was speeding past another car. Except the speed grew higher and higher, and the stars beyond the glass zipped by in bright white lines.

As it grew, Steven began to very much fear that he would vomit out of nausea, or worse, black out again, but it hit its peak and slowed back down. Steven was still groaning on the cold floor, hands over his churning belly, while everything settled back into place.

Jasper stood to her feet, towering all the way up to the ceiling, and Steven's stomach dropped like a rock. Her face had not changed a bit, but there was no denying the new light in her eyes. Even as she so very calmly stepped forward and stopped in the middle of the room, Steven couldn't help but think she wanted very much to reach over and strangle him into silence.

She didn't. Which was a relief. And a source of much wariness.

Instead, Jasper reached up and tapped her knuckles on the ceiling. Once again, the diamond-shaped panel slid away. Steven caught a glimpse on what must have been the cockpit. It looked like a single chair surrounded by a board of controls.

With only one arm, Jasper hauled herself up and into the cockpit and didn't even make a grunt while doing so. Once gone, Steven could only hear a few clicks of buttons.

At long last, the ship began to sink down with a speed slow enough to be safe but fast enough to be worrisome. Steven decided to just climb into a seat and buckle in for this one—which turned out to be a good idea, as once the pod touched down, it did so with a great thump that bordered on a crash.

After the bad rattle, Steven was fine, and while ignoring the nausea making his whole body twist in on itself, he turned his attention back to the windows. Still nighttime, still starry, but they were definitely on solid ground now.

Steven unbuckled, and before the strap had zipped back in, Jasper dropped down once again. Already, one of the windows was split in half as a docking-like door hissed open and fell to the ground. Cool night air drifted into the pod.

A large orange hand grabbed his feet and pulled. Steven cried out and tried to wriggle away, but it was too late. With no effort and hardly even a sound, Jasper had him dangling upside-down, her fingers tight around his ankles. No amount of squirming or reaching could help Steven now.

It was when Jasper began to walk out of the pod that Steven began to panic. The Crystal Gems weren't there. He knew that. He also knew that meant he was on his own. He would have to escape from Jasper...on his own. The way she was holding him now might as well have been shackles. All it would take was a hard punch, or toss too high and far into the air...

He fought. He squirmed. He struggled. He didn't even budge.

Steven, in the midst of all of this, tried to get a look at his surroundings. Even  _that_  gave little to no fruition. Even if he did recognize the place, the late night masked it all in blues and silvers. The land was flat, a little grassy, mostly dry. Other than that, it was a crystal-clear sky full of hundreds of twinkling little stars. He would have said it was beautiful if he wasn't panicking out of his mind.

The blood flow running down into his head was beginning to make him dizzy, far too light. This was remedied in the worst way possible when Steven tossed him up into the air, spinning him upright, and caught him by the back of his shoulder. If there was a moment where he was going to barf, that was it.

Jasper held him up, and he realized, as he continued to squirm, that she  _wanted_  him to see where they were.

It was, to his immense surprise and  _extreme_  confusion, the Beta Kindergarten. At night, it looked entirely different. No yellows or oranges or browns. No warm sunlight. It was all blues and blacks and purples, the parts where the moonlight did not hit completely drowned in shadow. Again, very pretty, just not in the given circumstances.

It was actually only by the familiar humanoid-shaped holes in the valley far, far off to his right that had Steven recognizing where he was. Because what lied before him was unlike anything he had ever seen.

It was a giant, smooth bowl in the earth. A perfect scoop. Big enough to be a lake, but bone-dry. The slopes of it were so smooth that Steven could have slid down them without problem, but it would be a long, long,  _loooooooong_  slide to get to the bottom.

Steven tried, and failed, to get a look at Jasper's face. The hand holding him up was as still as stone, but honestly, he would have preferred it if it was shaking with rage. He had gotten so used to seeing Jasper like that, always angry, always violent, that this cold, calm fury completely unsettled him.

"It's, uh..." Steven coughed. "It's a bowl."

He was promptly dropped to the ground. He just barely managed not to scrape his hands.

Looking up at Jasper, he swallowed hard again. Her eyes were a stark, violent yellow even in the dead of night.

" _This_  is where it happened," Jasper told him, even, but so very cold. " _This_  is where you ruined  _everything_. I want you to think about it."

Jasper bent down to him, hands on her knees, lip beginning to curl back from her teeth. Steven tried to inch away, as subtly as he could.

"Think about everything that has happened because of this. All the Gems that were shattered. Thousands unmade because the colony fell apart. The hundreds that could have made it out fine if you hadn't corrupted their minds. The one. person. in my and many others' life that was taken away because of  _you_. Because  _you_  wanted this to be  _your_  planet."

The more she spoke, the more Steven disconnected her words from her. As if, even though she was speaking right to him, right  _in front of him_ , his own mind was putting him elsewhere.

He had known, of course, that Jasper had something against Rose Quartz. He also knew that most of what she said was untrue. Rose led a war against Homeworld because she wanted to protect Earth, and her friends. Her friends followed her  _willingly_ , she didn't "corrupt" them. As for the Gems...Rose wouldn't have shattered anyone. None of the Crystal Gems would have. It had to have been Homeworld who did that.

He assumed that this "one person" was maybe...Well, he didn't actually know, but maybe some kind of popular Homeworld comrade? A Quartz soldier who had fallen in battle?

Steven knew that Jasper was wrong, but he saw how she thought she was right. Homeworld just...did that to Gems, apparently. Made them think that what was wrong was right. Which was why, he realized, making her see the truth was not going to be easy.

Jasper stood back to her full height. Her huge hands were curled into fists by her sides. The cape around her shoulders was lightly rippling in the wind, same as her hair.

"I am going to ask you one question," said Jasper. "What do you have to say?"

Steven did not answer for a very, very, very long time. Not because he was considering, but because he found himself stuck. He was not Rose Quartz. He could not give Rose Quartz's answer. But Jasper was expecting it.

Steven coughed once, twice, three times and finally replied, "I'm sorry."

Jasper blinked.

Jasper blinked again.

And Jasper exploded.

 _"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SORRY!"_  she roared. Steven clamped his hands over his ears, and still her voice shot right through them.  _"YOU'RE NOT SORRY! YOU'VE DONE TOO MANY THINGS FOR TOO LONG TO BE SORRY! I WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHY YOU DID IT!"_

Steven's mouth worked faster and more efficiently than his mind in that moment. And his heart, too, as it was starting to pound in his chest.

"I-I don't know," he stammered out, and when Jasper's face once again twisted in outrage, he bumbled out, "I-I-I mean, she did it because Homeworld was doing bad things to the Earth and her friends. She just wanted everyone to—"

"Your  _friends_?! You have the nerve to call those things your  _friends_?! Let me get this through your head, Rose Quartz: those four would have been perfectly safe before  _you_  came along. The Pearl just had to do her job and she would have been safe! The faulty Amethyst just had to make up for her weakness and she would have been safe! The Sapphire wouldn't have just been  _safe_ , she would have lived a life of  _luxury_! But you knew that it was you against everyone else, so you got into their heads. What did you do, huh? Did you bribe them? Lie to them?"

"Mom didn't lie to anyone," Steven told her with some newfound bravery. "Even if they were safe, they weren't happy! Some of them weren't even—Homeworld shattered all the Rubies!"

"You think happiness is more important than safety." Jasper shook her head in disgust. "I guess that explains a lot. You sent all your cronies into battle to get shattered because it kept you happy."

"They chose to follow her!"

"They 'chose' to follow you after you twisted their minds." Jasper scoffed. "I want to know—what did Homeworld do to you that made you snap, huh? Did you want your own Pearl? Did you want to be the leader of a squad? Did they say no when you asked for a whole planet?"

"No! Mom started everything because she saw the beauty in—"

"WHO is MOM?"

"I—ugh!—I meant Rose Quartz?"

Jasper paused for a very long moment. "Alright. Well.  _Jasper_  has had enough of this conversation. I was just a little curious about whether you had any regret."

Jasper's crash helmet wrapped around her face with a quick flash of orange light.

"The answer is 'no.'"

Steven jumped out of the way when Jasper swung her head down hard.

He ended up crashing into the dirt just a foot away from the cloud of dirt and dust. His mind was on autopilot. No more consideration, no plans, just a nonstop loop of  _Run, run, run, run, run._

But he couldn't, and he didn't. When Jasper's head reared back and came right down, a piston, Steven just flailed away once again with no grace and no plan.

Then he was tumbling head over heels, rolling side over side. Dust bit into his eyes and seeped into his mouth. He couldn't stop himself from moving no matter what he did. He was going to be covered in bruises no matter what.

He did, of course, realize that he had tumbled himself right into the bowl. He really should have seen it coming, but now that it had happened, he was helpless.

Slowly and painfully, he managed to get himself sliding on his rear, but it was still far from a smooth ride. Wind rushed by his ears, grit stung across his legs and feet. Even putting his shoes down only managed to make clouds of dust that spat up right at him. He couldn't even get it out of his eyes properly.

That didn't stop him from seeing Jasper land herself in front of him. "In front of him" here meaning "twenty feet ahead while he was moving forward at what felt like a hundred miles per hour."

Either Jasper didn't calculate well, or luck was on his side, because when Jasper raised her head to strike a third time, Steven just slid right between her legs and kept going. Behind him, he barely heard Jasper give a confused "What—?", quickly followed by a growl of fury.

A look behind him, and he decided that luck probably wasn't on his side anymore. Jasper had curled herself into a ball, something he had seen before, and so quickly that smoke rose up in her wake, she took off after him. He could  _hear_  how fast she was. The sharp whistle through the air made his ears ring.

Steven couldn't dodge, and he couldn't attack, and out of sheer instinct that was almost animal, he conjured a Bubble to protect himself.

The result was...not what he was expecting. He'd thought that the Bubble would stop him and anchor him down. Then Jasper would crash against the outside, but other than a bad reverberation, he would be safe.

As it was, however, the Bubble did  _not_  stop him, he was  _not_  anchored down, and when Jasper crashed into the Bubble, there was an effect similar to that of a golf club full-force-striking a golf ball.

So with a very nasty crash, Steven was soaring high into the air. So high, in fact, that when he looked down through the pink-tinted wall of his Bubble, his limbs flailing around uselessly, and saw the ground below...The only thought that came to him was "This is going to hurt."

It did. Maybe not as much as he thought it would, but he did. The Bubble came back down just a little before the bottom and went rolling the rest of the way. Inside, Steven was tossed around in every direction. He didn't even know how long it took to get back upright, just that he most definitely had a dozen more bruises to deal with in the morning.

The Bubble finally came to a stop at the bottom of the bowl. That wasn't the end of it, however.

Of  _course_  that wasn't the end of it.

Jasper struck down with the force of lightning. A single, powerful hit was all it took. The Bubble burst on impact. Steven was exposed once again.

Jasper did not immediately try again. She pressed her boot to Steven's chest, and even though she could have easily squashed him right then and there, she just kept him pinned. Steven didn't dare move out of fear of her pressing down harder. How easily would he break, he wondered? How quickly could she do it?

"Why do you keep looking like that?" Jasper demanded. The toe on Steven's collarbone pressed down, and he held his breath. "It's not going to get my sympathy!"

Jasper raised her fist, and Steven squeezed his eyes shut.

When warmth spread through his belly, Steven thought,  _This is it. She got me. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead._

Such thoughts only lasted for a split-second, cut off by the sound of something harsh and reverberating in his ears.

It was enough to throw Jasper off her balance. She stumbled back with her hand shaking out of her control. The shout she gave out made it sound painful, doubly so when she grabbed her forearm. Her very fingers had become orange blurs.

The shield between them was not too large, nor was it too small. It was just as Steven remembered it to be, but in the darkness, its pink glow was almost blinding.

Without thinking, Steven took it onto his arm. At once the glow and the sparkles faded away. The weight was comforting, in a way, but  _not comforting enough._

The shield only served to push Jasper a little further. Again she raised a fist and brought it down hard, and again there was a reverberation that rattled Steven's bones. He managed to pay more attention this time, and saw that Jasper's hand was actually wavering from the impact. More accurately, its  _image_  was wavering. It didn't look right, and it made Steven's hand tingle sympathetically.

When Jasper instead reared her helmet back, Steven almost warned her, but it was too late. The next hit actually hurt him; he felt the shockwaves all through his body. He couldn't even imagine what it felt like for Jasper. She even let out a short but harsh scream as her whole head moved like heat shimmer. Her very facial features blurred together.

Steven finally got himself back up to his feet, but knowing there was no use in running, he just hunkered down and waited. Jasper collected herself quickly, and to put it as simply as possible, the look she gave Steven could have very well killed him.

" _DO SOMETHING!"_ Jasper's fist pounded on the shield out of nothing but frustration. It wasn't even that forceful.  _"DON'T JUST SIT THERE! FIGHT ME!"_

Steven really wanted to say that what followed was at the very least an effort of a fight on his part. Instead, one swipe of her arm had Jasper flinging the shield away from both of them. It disappeared before it even hit the ground.

" _STOP PRETENDING!"_

When Jasper reached for him again, Steven summoned up his Bubble in an instant. Just the blink of an eye, and Jasper was behind a screen of pink. Her fingers splayed across the surface with the typical tinny echo. Her other hand pounded against it, until finally she bashed her helmet into it. Even that didn't make it burst. Jasper took a step back, and the Bubble rolled with her—

_Wait._

Steven looked right and left and saw…well, his surroundings. The moonlit dirt of the bowl, the stars up above. The color blue.

Then he looked at Jasper, all pink.

It took approximately thirty seconds for him to realize that it was, in fact,  _not_ him who was encased in the Bubble.

Steven let out a rattling sigh of relief, and quite possibly his first breath in far too long. The intake of air actually hurt. He hadn't realized he'd been shaking so much, but now his spine and shoulders were both aching.

Jasper, in the meantime, was giving it all and receiving nothing. Punches did nothing. Kicking didn't even crack it. The strike of her helmet just gave another short echo. At one point, she curled herself into a ball once again and went off at full power. The result was very similar to that of a hamster running in its wheel. It was actually kind of funny.

But Steven was careful not to laugh. For good reason, as if the Bubble wasn't there, it was clear just by the look on her face that Jasper would have throttled him.

" _Let me out of here!"_ Even the power in Jasper's voice was dulled.  _"What is WRONG with you?! This is not how you fight!"_

Steven cleared his throat. "I don't want to fight."

" _UuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUGH—"_

"I want…to talk."

Jasper rested her forehead against the Bubble and glowered down at him. Her right fingers were drumming on the inside, and Steven was once again reminded that they were the perfect size for breaking every bone in his body. Thank Rose for the Bubble…

"So  _this_ is how you do it. You trap them until they comply with what you want. Is that what you did with the human? Did you starve it? Did you refuse it water, sleep? You know those things depend on their parents at that stage. Did you separate them, or did you get them, too?"

"The human's name is Connie, and she was helping me because she's my friend!" Steven ignored the yellow eye roll. "Jasper, listen to me. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not even going to poof you!"

"Well, no, I'd think not. How else are you going to spout your  _friendship_ at me?"

Steven took another calming breath. Oh, how he wished this day would end. "I know you're mad about the stuff Mom did—"

"Again with the 'Mom.' Is that some kind of Earth way to say 'I'?"

"I meant 'Rose'—"

"Again with the  _'Rose!'_  Stop talking like that, you're already an idiot as it is!"

" _I am not Rose!"_

Jasper did not seem at all surprised with the outburst. She just raised a thick brow and drawled, "I have this terrible feeling that the next thing you're going to say is going to be really,  _really_  stupid _._ "

Steven steeled himself. "I'm not Rose. I'm her son."

"I was right."

Jasper continued to glower down at him from within the Bubble. She seemed entirely disinterested in what he had to say, but at the same time was waiting for him to respond. Which, Steven supposed, summed up Jasper pretty well.

Still, he tried to reason: "I don't look anything like her!"

"Look, you might have a ton of special little  _quirks_ that other Quartzes don't have, but we can all shapeshift. Just because you're holding it up longer doesn't impress me. It was bad enough for you to shift to look like a newborn human to get sympathy, but now you're going to pretend you're not who you say you are?"

"Newborn…?" Steven shook his head clear. "I am who I say I am, and I say that I'm not Rose!"

Jasper ticked off her fingers one-by-one, very slowly, very angrily. "You have the same  _shield,_ you have the same  _powers,_ your cronies still treat you as their  _priority_ , and in case you haven't noticed,  _YOU STILL HAVE THE EXACT SAME GEM IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE!"_

On instinct, Steven placed his hand over his Gem. That…was a fair point. For Jasper at least. Like— _Duh,_ he wasn't Rose Quartz, but according to the Gems, a person like him had never existed. Of course Jasper would be trying to find logic in the situation.

"I'm not debating this, Rose Quartz!" Again, Jasper's fist rapped against her cage. "Let me out of here!"

Steven looked around him. He most definitely had no chance of winning once the Bubble fell.

"Um…If I do, are you going to try and get me again? Because—Okay, okay. No need to give me that look. I get it."

Ignoring Jasper as she fruitlessly tried to break out (again), Steven weighed his options. Letting Jasper out was a no-no, however much it was going to upset her. Leaving her there wasn't going to happen, either. Where was he going to go? He couldn't fly the ship. He couldn't even tell what part of the Kindergarten they were in. The Warp Pad was miles away and he didn't know where to start walking.

"Oh!" Steven snapped his fingers. "My cellphone!"

Jasper saw him pull it out of his pocket and grunted, "Your underlings aren't going to find you!"

"Hush now."

The second his phone's screen lit up, Steven groaned. Not a single bar. He might have even had  _negative_  reception out here.

Jasper, at this point, was basically woodpecker-ing the Bubble. If it wasn't for the rhythm of her helmet  _WHAP-WHAP-WHAPPING_ against it, it would have been dead silent. A cold breeze drifted by, making Steven shiver just a bit. This wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.

But…

This might have been his only opportunity to get through to her. With no one else holding him back, Jasper constrained, no ensuing battle. He knew the Crystal Gems would be hunting them now, and though he did feel some guilt for making them worry so, he took it as a good sort of rush. He could talk to Jasper, they would come, and they wouldn't be stuck here anymore.

But it was a rush nonetheless. Whatever happened once the Crystal Gems came, he had to try. He had to just  _try_ to get through to her.

"Alright, Jasper. I'll make you a deal."

 _WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-_ "Keep it." _-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP_

"When the Crystal Gems come for us—and they will!—we won't hurt you. I'll even ask them not to poof you. But until then, you stay in the Bubble."

"Sounds fair."  _WHAP._ "We wait for your backup to show—"  _WHAP._ "—until then, you try to brainwash me—"  _WHAP._ "—and if it doesn't work—"  _WHAP._ "—you can just do what you want with me."  _WHAP._

"That's not going to happen. But let's change the subject!" Steven sat down and crossed his legs together. He propped his elbows on his knees, his chin in his hands, and smiled from ear-to-ear. "Let's talk about  _you_!"

"Shut up."

"You were made here on Earth, right?"

"Shut up."

"Do you like your job?"

"Shut up."

"What's your favorite color?"

" _SHUT UP!"_

 _This is going to be a long night,_ Steven decided.

0000000000000000000

An hour or so later, and Steven was stuck. Any and all attempts to start up a conversation had failed. If Jasper didn't  _tell_  him to shut up, she'd  _yell_ , and if she got angrier past that, she'd  _shriek._ And her energy was never-ending. Not once did she stop trying to get out of the Bubble. She would try everything she possibly could, failed, and tried again.

In breaks, Steven would take out his phone and play games. Several times, he'd tried to get reception, but it never worked. At some point, he'd gone so far as to climb to the top of the bowl—a feat that took more than fifteen minutes—and still nothing. Jasper didn't like it, either, and had yelled at him not to leave her there like a coward. Steven had returned more out of annoyance than defeat.

According to his phone, it was coming near ten, and his body was reacting accordingly. When he sat back down in the dirt, he didn't want to get up. The light of his phone started to hurt his eyes. The Crystal Gems still hadn't arrived, which was both a good thing and a bad thing, he guessed. More time to spend with Jasper and more time to worry about the future.

With his voice slurred, he asked, "Have you ever played Tic-Tac-Toe?"

"Shut up."

"Here, I'll show you." Steven drew lines into the soft dirt with his fingers. "I'll go first."

He drew a circle in one of the squares. Jasper didn't even glance down at him. She was pounding at the Bubble non-stop, alternating her hands. She hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Oh," Steven murmured, "You can't really play, huh?"

"Shut up."

"I can do it for you. Just tell me where you want me to put the X."

"Shut up."

"If you get three in a row, you win. I promise I won't cheat."

" _SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!"_ Every exclamation was punctuated by the pound of a fist against the Bubble. Her fingers curled against it, wishing so very badly to just rip it apart, but it was no use. Still, Steven felt the heat of her eyes from where he sat.  _"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY! I'M NOT GOING TO TALK TO YOU! I'M NOT GOING TO FOLLOW YOU! I'M NOT GOING TO FORGIVE YOU!"_

Steven's mouth opened out of his control, and he stifled a yawn behind his mouth.

" _DON'T BE SO SMUG! THE SECOND THIS BUBBLE GOES, I'M ENDING THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!"_

"Sorry," Steven said before he was really done. "I'm sleepy. I wasn't trying to be rude. Here…I'll put an X for you."

Once he was done, he just sat there a moment, staring down at the single X and the single O in the grid. His eyelids were started to weigh down heavier and heavier, but for just a moment, they widened when he realized Jasper had been completely quiet for more than two seconds.

She still had her eyes narrowed at him, even if she had paused in her struggle. "You're what?"

Steven blinked at her, slow with drowsiness. "What?"

"Don't—! What does  _sleepy_  mean? Are you insulting me?!"

"What? No. 'Sleepy' like 'sleep.' Like I'm tired." Steven drew another O into the grid. "I want to sleep."

"Oh, here we go…" Jasper set her forehead against the Bubble and sighed. "Let me guess. Now you're all  _weak_  and  _slow_  and  _defenseless_."

"Pretty much." Steven drew another X for Jasper. "Have you ever slept before?"

"Just  _stop_  already!  _I'm not falling for it! I know who you are, I know what you did!"_

"I'm not Rose," Steven said again, and of course it came out in a little sleepy mumble, completely derived of any firmness. He put in another O. "I would explain to you why, but you don't want me to."

"Shut up."

"Exactly. So I guess I'll go to sleep and see if you've changed your mind in the morning. I would keep talking, but…" Steven yawned again, loud and long. "I don't think I can anymore. But wake me up if the Crystal Gems arrive. I'll keep them from hurting you."

"Shut. Up."

"Wait, let's finish the game." Steven drew in another X for Jasper, then paused. And blinked. "You beat me."

" _I'll beat you in more ways than one once I get out of here!"_

"M'kay. Good night. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

Steven just laid himself down on the ground. Of course, he had no blanket, so he pulled his arms out of his sleeves and against his torso for warmth. It wasn't that bad, actually, and once he'd gathered some of the dirt into a little pile, it made for a decent pillow.

He kept his phone beside him and shut his eyes. Behind him, Jasper's noise continued, but it was somehow relaxing. Like a metronome, he guessed. Slowly but surely, he fell asleep to the sound.

0000000000000000000000000

The next morning he woke up to a world of orange.

The sky was darker on one end than the other. Turning his head just slightly, he saw the burning-hot sun hadn't completely risen from the horizon yet. He had a beautiful sky above him, clear and bright, but it was a reminder of the situation he was in. The dirt all around him was orange, from the top of the bowl to the "bed" he slept on.

He pushed himself up with a groan. His clothes were dusted in orange, his hair probably worse. His back was stiff and his mouth felt dry. He then remembered that he  _probably_  wasn't going to have a breakfast of eggs and bacon with orange juice waiting for him, and sighed aloud.

Something was unsettling him, and it took him too long to realize the silence. It was dead quiet, not even the whistle of the wind passing by.

Jasper was still in the Bubble. Of course she was. But now she was sitting down. Laying down, more like. Her arms were crossed over her chest. Over the toes of her boots, she was glowering at Steven.

"Good morning," he greeted her cheerily. "I hope you weren't bored."

Jasper clicked her tongue. "Did you seriously just lie on the ground for eight hours straight so you could keep up this game?"

"'S not a game." Steven stretched his arm behind his head. "But I guess sleeping really is weird when you put it like that. You know, usually when you sleep, you put on ceremonial clothes, lie down on a special cushion, and hallucinate for hours." He paused mid-stretch. "Man, now  _I_ think sleeping is weird."

Jasper just glowered at him a little more.

Steven finally stood up to stretch his legs. The Tic-Tac-Toe game was still there from the night before, which he found funny for some reason. But looking at the dry dirt, he was once again reminded that there was no water around for probably miles. But the Gems would come for them. But he was thirsty. But they were coming! But he was really thirsty…

Actually, thinking about it, the fact that the Crystal Gems  _weren't_ there was worrying him much more than it had before. Sleep must have taken over all his other priorities. It was, what, ten hours now? And still no sign.

"So," he said, "no sign of the Crystal Gems?"

"What do you think?"

"Fair enough. Man, I hope they show up soon."

Jasper's upper lip pulled back from her teeth. "I'm sure you do."

"I'm not trying to be mean," he chuckled. Somehow, a good night's sleep and having her threat neutralized made Jasper's ever-burning fury a little…funnier, he guessed. "I just want to go home."

Jasper didn't say anything.

Steven thought to himself for a second. Jasper had been gone from Homeworld for more than two months now. Even if Homeworld was a horrible place with horrible Gems…"Hey, do you miss Homeworld?"

In response, an eyebrow arched upwards.

"Guess not. You know, I heard you say you're from here."

Jasper shifted her boots just to glare a little better at him. "Don't mock me."

"I'm not, I'm not! I'm just curious." Steven walked  _closer_ to the Bubble, probably not a good thing, but he just did it anyway without thinking. "If you were made here, why do you want this place to be destroyed so much?"

"This better not be a real question." One look at Steven's expectant face answered that, and Jasper groaned. "Alright, let me spell it out for you. I was pumped out in a shoddy Kindergarten, I ended up being correctly formed by sheer luck, all the other Gems in the same Kindergarten were defective in some way or another, so the only reason I have any higher ranking is because the 'competition' was nonexistent, the colony I was sworn to service was taken over, and—last but not least—my one reason for living was taken away by a psychotic rebel who makes others suffer before batting her eyelashes and feigning innocence."

Steven's heart beat with sympathy. He couldn't help it. "Geez, that sounds rough…Who did it?"

A pause. A very angry pause.

"Oh, yeah." Steven coughed. "But still. Why are you so loyal to Homeworld? You weren't made there."

"This might come as a shock to you, but some of us are grateful that we're  _alive_."

Yet another good point from a bad view. Steven hadn't really thought about it before, but every Gem he knew was created by Homeworld. Even the Crystal Gems. Even his mother. For as horrible as Homeworld was, for all the things it did to its Gems, it couldn't be denied that without it, said Gems wouldn't exist.

A sudden, violent growl in his gut made him flinch. As if it would even help, he clamped his hands over his belly and squeezed. Of course, this did nothing but let him feel the rumble through his hands.

Jasper blinked. "What was  _that?"_

Steven groaned. "The Pit Montser."

"The what?"

"My stomach."

"Your  _what?"_

" _Stomach. S-T-O-M-A-C-H."_

"Ess-tee-oh-em-aye-see-eich  _what?!"_

Steven sighed and lifted up the hem of his shirt just so. Jasper visibly stiffened at the sight of his Gem, but he pointed to the skin above it.

"I have a  _stomach,"_ Steven tried to explain. "I need food to eat. It's how I get energy and stay healthy."

"Alright, let me get this straight." Jasper pinched the bridge of her nose. "You expect me to believe that you have a body part you don't need so you can process food that you don't need so you can get energy that you don't need."

"Take out all those 'don'ts' and you've got it!" Jasper obviously didn't think this funny, so Steven let his smile drop. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. It's just the way I was born."

"Stop  _talking_ like that!" Jasper clenched her fingers at him as if to squeeze his shoulders. "You were not  _born_. You do not have a  _'stomach'._ You do not  _sleep."_

"I'm not Rose Quartz, Jasper. Sorry not sorry, I don't know how to get this through!"

Jasper ran her hands down her face until they covered her mouth. Steven's confidence wilted. He wanted to convince Jasper, not wear her down by annoyance. But he wasn't trying to be annoying! He just didn't know what to do.

"Jasper, you've got to tell me how I can make this clear. I know this might sound weird to you, so—"

"Alright." Jasper tucked her legs beneath her and leaned forward. Her entire body screamed fake interest. Especially when she propped her chin in her hand. "I want you to hear just how dumb this lie is. So explain to me how you're not Rose. Tell me how you're…"

She flippantly waved a hand, to which Steven offered, "Steven."

"Right. Tell me how you're 'Steven.'"

"Okay!" Even in her dripping sarcasm, Steven saw the opportunity. This might just be his big chance at getting through to her. "So, um…I  _do_ have Rose's Gem."

"Mm-hm."

"But I don't have her memories. Because she and I are two different people. We just have the same Gem because she's my mom."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm." Jasper batted her eyelashes. "And what is a 'mom'?"

"A mom is…Okay. For a human to exist, they need a mom and a dad. Or, uh…They need a mom and a dad to  _make_  them. And my mom and my dad made me. Rose was my mom!"

"Ahhhh, so two parents create the child, and care for them until they can live on their own?" Steven nodded, and Jasper nodded back. "Of course! That's how all organic lives work. So, let me ask: where is Rose now?"

"Um…" Steven swallowed. "She's not here anymore."

"Oh? What happened?"

"She, uh…She gave up her physical form to make me." Steven glanced down at his Gem again. "My dad was a human, but she was a Gem, so things didn't work like they usually do. My dad is still around, but…She had to leave so I could exist."

"Oh nooooo…" The very dry sympathy almost made Steven wince. It hurt. Even though he knew that Jasper hated Rose, hearing her be so sarcastic about it just—hurt. "But at least you got everything else from her, right?"

"Well, kind of! I have her shield, and I can Bubble like her—obviously—and I used to have healing powers, but then they went away. But otherwise, I'm a human! I'm all…fleshy! See?"

Steven patted himself on the belly in demonstration. Jasper nodded as a rapt student would.

"So," she said after, "Can I sum up what you've told me?"

"Sure you can!"

"Great! So—a being made of light managed to create a child with a being who physically has nothing in common with her, and even though the child has her Gem and her powers, it conveniently doesn't have her memories, and it just so happens that in creating the child, she had to stop existing!"

"Exactly!"

" _THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"_

Steven flinched at the roar, even dulled within the Bubble. Jasper had gone from sarcastically interested to shaking with frustration in half a second. Her fingers were still clawing at the air, so desperate for him to admit defeat.

"I guess it doesn't," Steven said eventually. "Apparently, someone like me has never existed before."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up…"

"I'm really sorry I can't explain it better. I know it must be really confusing, but I'm telling the truth."

" _Shut up, shut up, shut up…"_

"Alright, listen…" Steven spoke as he thank, slow and careful. He pulled the hem of his shirt back down. "I told you something that I know but you don't. So why don't you tell me something you know, but I don't?"

Jasper's face was completely hidden in her hands at this point.

"You said before that I took away your 'one reason for living'. What did you mean?"

"Don't," Jasper growled against her palms.

"You mentioned that me fighting for Earth 'took away' someone from you. Who—?"

" _DON'T YOU DARE!"_ Jasper threw herself against the Bubble with everything she had. For the first time, the Bubble shifted, but nothing gave. Fists and feet pounded over and over and over, so loud that it almost took over her shriek of,  _"DON'T YOU DARE ASK ME THAT QUESTION!"_

So after that, Steven decides that a break was in order. Not because he was frustrated, or scared, but because he would swear that in that final burst of rage, he heard Jasper's voice crack.

000000000000000000000000000000

The lovely dawn gave way to a hellish morning.

Steven should have expected it, really. With dry land and not a drop of water anywhere, he was practically sitting in a sunspot. The temperature shot up like a rocket. While last night he had curled in on himself for warmth, now the temptation to strip his sweat-soaked shirt off his body was overwhelming. He was sweating  _everywhere_ —his armpits, his neck, his hairline, even the backs of his knees were stickier by the second.

He couldn't look too far into the distance without heat shimmer blurring everything. Even looking a few feet in front of him necessitated shielding his eyes with his hand.

He wondered if Jasper felt cool in her Bubble, if she even felt hot or cold. Even with the sun shining right through her cage, casting a pinkish shadow below her, she still kept the heavy cape draped over her shoulders. She'd gone back to lying down arms-crossed, but she'd taken to glaring at her boots instead of him.

Steven's stomach never stopped growling, something that very much annoyed Jasper. For a few seconds, it would help to imagine a breakfast prepared before him. Crisp bacon, runny eggs, golden toast, a tall glass of cold orange juice dripping with perspiration…But then the orange juice would remind him that his tongue was basically sandpaper in his mouth.

Every second was a reminder that the Crystal Gems weren't there, that his time with Jasper was running shorter and shorter. He really hadn't meant to upset her so with that last question—his curiosity had overtaken his judgement. How could he not realize that asking about a person Jasper had lost would be a sore subject?

Steven still assumed she was referring to a comrade of hers that had fought in the war. It only made sense, though how she'd been lost was not something he liked to think about. He refused to believe that a Crystal Gem had done it; the Crystal Gems didn't do that.

Steven swallowed down nothing. He once again thought of orange juice, and that made him think of trees, and then trees with rainbow stripes, trees that could dance…

He realized delirium was beginning to set in, and knew he had to do something about it. His phone had already died. He tried to make another Tic-Tac-Toe game, but the feeling of the bone-dry dust under his skin was too much.

Steven couldn't give up on Jasper. He couldn't, he had to get through to her, he had to make her see reason…but how to do it, how to do it…

"Hey, Jasper."

She didn't answer.

"I know you don't like what happened…I don't blame you…but why do you hate the Earth? The Earth didn't do anything…A planet isn't a person, it can't do things on purpose…imagine if it could, though…oh, how many galactic wars would there be…"

This last part came out in whispers, but the rest he was sure Jasper could hear. He wasn't even looking at her, but he guessed she was paying attention.

He was honestly a little surprised when she answered. "It's just a planet. It was  _always_ just a planet."

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying!"

She tried again, slower. "It's just a planet, so there's no need to feel attached to it. It's flora and fauna and water. That's it."

"But what about the humans?"

"What  _about_ them?"

"Humans aren't bad." His senses were coming back to him. He decided to talk as long as Jasper would allow, even if it was only to help his health at this point. "Some of them are. But some Gems are bad, too. Doesn't mean they're all the same."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you want to destroy the Earth, that means you want to destroy humans, right? 'Cause humans live here. My dad lives here, and Connie. And the Cool Kids. And the Pizza Family. And Onion. I think."

"The only difference between humans and any other lifeform is that they're a  _little_  smarter," Jasper scoffed. "They live short lives that consist of eating and sleeping. They have no purpose."

"Do they have to have a purpose?" Steven finally looked up at her. She was watching him warily. "I know how Homeworld works. Peridots are scientists. Rubies are soldiers. But I don't get why it has to be like that."

"Ever heard of this thing called 'order'?"

Steven chuckled. "Have you ever been in a city? Humans have positions, too. But they choose them. Anyone can be anything so long as they try hard enough. Everyone can do what they want and we're not in total anarchy."

"And what happens when no one wants to build the buildings? What happens when no one wants to defend the weaker? What happens then?"

"That doesn't happen. There are so many humans, there has to be at least a  _few_ of them who want to have a certain job. Anyways…the Earth is a good place. That's why Mom and the Crystal Gems fought for it."

"Does it really sound that simple too you?" Jasper waved a hand around them, at the dust and the heat and the empty sky. "'This place that isn't my home is good, so I'm going to fight for it?'  _Why_ was it so good? What is it about this one planet that's so much greater than everything else you ever knew, huh?"

Steven frowned, but it crumbled when a cough tore up his throat. It was dry, and it hurt, and he wished more than ever that he had  _something_ to drink. He would take muddy water at that point. Jasper furrowed her thick brows at the sound, or more at the fact that he didn't say anything about it when he continued.

"Earth is the only planet with humans on it, right? Mom fought for the people who lived here."

"As if I didn't know that. It doesn't matter how much you tell me about humans. They're not Gems, and you're not  _one of them._ There were hundreds of Quartzes just like you! Like  _me!_ And you turned your back on them for things that won't even live to a century!"

Steven wanted to tell her that no, there was more to it than that, but he found herself coming up blank.

It occurred to him then that even though he knew that Rose Quartz had fought for the Earth and the people that lived on it, he'd never thought to ask  _why._ He loved the Earth, he loved his dad, he loved Connie, he loved all the citizens in Beach City, but he couldn't think of what Rose saw. Even if Rose Quartz had known humans the way he did—even if she had human friends she wanted to fight for, which might not even be true, as the others had never said as such—what about the others? The Crystal Gems had stayed away from humans for thousands of years, speaking to them like they didn't know their language, looking at them as if they were weird creatures.

Maybe they just fought the war because they loved Rose. It was just a little heartwarming, he supposed, that his mother was just such a good person that dozens, if not hundreds, of Gems would fight her war. But more than that, it was disconcerting. Because that made Rose sound selfish. And Rose wasn't selfish, was she?

More times passed, and the heat only got hotter. Steven found that crawling in the pinkish shadow of the Bubble gave a little shade, but it wasn't much, and Jasper clearly didn't appreciate him getting closer. At some point, Jasper stood up for another round of attempting break-out. With rage dissolved into annoyance, it seemed more like a workout routine than anything, the way she powerfully but calmly struck the glass with her fists, her feet, her helmet.

At some point, Steven fell asleep, but he didn't recall feeling sleepy. He might have passed out, he supposed, but he didn't like to think that was the case. After all, that meant he was getting sick, and if he was getting sick, he was on even more of a time limit.

Steven looked to the far side of the bowl and paused. It wasn't actually a perfect bowl, not as he thought. On either side there was one long crack reaching up to the top. It had to be where the canyon continued on, not that he would be able to tell which way was north and which was south.

Somewhere in the canyon's path, there was a secret bunker that he and Jasper had both been in. She did so and came out with a ship. He did so and watched a horrid amalgamation of shattered Crystal Gems forcibly assimilate his friend inside of it.

"You want the Earth to be destroyed," Steven whispered.

His voice was so cracked and quiet he was surprised that Jasper heard him. "And?"

"You said that there was something that was going to do it. Something called the Cluster. What is it?"

Jasper laughed very dryly. "As if I'd let you in on our plans."

Steven swallowed painfully again. "You said it would really upset me. So why not?"

"Look, you want the answer?" Jasper shrugged while glaring at him. "I don't know what it is. All I know is what it's going to do."

"What's it going to do?"

"Shut up."

Steven blew a raspberry with the very little saliva he had left. "You're no fun."

Jasper curled her lips at him. "When are your 'friends' getting here? I don't think I can take much longer of this."

"I have no idea. I thought they'd be here by now…Sapphire's probably trying to figure it out. Maybe they split up, or something…Or maybe they think we're in space now and they don't know what to do—"

"It was one. simple. question."

"Actually, that's another thing…If you want to take me back to Homeworld so I can be…something-ed, why didn't you just go ahead and take me there?"

"I already told you," snapped Jasper. She gave another powerful punch to the Bubble. "I took you here to see if you had even a shred of regret for what you did."

"I said I was sorry!"

"And then you said you aren't actually Rose."

"I did indeed also say that."

Jasper clicked her tongue. "Don't you think that maybe you can't regret something you didn't do?"

"Hm…" Steven twiddled his fingers in the dirt. "Yeah, but…I'm sorry that whatever Mom did hurt you. Maybe what she did was right, or maybe it was wrong, but it hurt you. And I'm sorry for that, even though you probably don't believe me."

Jasper just snorted and resumed her workout. Another wave of nausea came over Steven, and he teetered where he sat. He couldn't stay like this much longer, and he needed something to do, anything. And he really was no closer in convincing Jasper that he and the others weren't the bad guys in this whole ordeal, so underneath the sleepiness and the sweating, anxiety was beginning to swell in his chest.

"I've been asking you a lot of questions," he told Jasper. "Don't you want to ask me anything?"

"No."

At this point, Steven decided to play perhaps the only card he had: reverse psychology. "Alright. But just so you know, once Homeworld gets me, you won't be able to talk to me ever again. So if you have any questions, do it now."

Jasper finally stopped to look down at him. She stood just in the sun's image, so Steven couldn't look up at her eyes, just the blue diamond-shaped insignia at her chest. He took a guess at her expression, however.

"Fine," Jasper spat. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Everything. The war. The rebellion."

Steven sighed. "I'm not my mom, so I can't answer that. But if I took a guess, I think maybe she just thought the Earth was beautiful and worth fighting for."

It really wasn't anything new, so next Jasper just huffed and asked, "Why do you keep the others around? Of all the Gems to force into your army, why those three? Rubies are nothing compared to Quartzes. Sapphires have no business on battlegrounds. A Pearl and a defect are pathetic as is, but fused into  _that_ thing?"

"Opal's not a thing," Steven snapped before he could really help it. For as patient as he was trying to be, he wasn't going to let Jasper talk about his friends as such. "Ruby is a  _lot_ of things, and Sapphire's stronger than you think she is. I keep them around because they love me. They don't give up on me, even when I screw up. And I screw up a lot."

"Ah, so you admit that almost everything you do ends in disaster?"

"Not everything, but yeah. I don't have all the powers Mom did…Even the ones I have, I'm not very good at them. I want to be just like the others, but I'm not as strong as them. The first time we all went on a mission together, I lost the code and got the Aerial Tower sent into the ocean." Steven chuckled at the memory, and marveled that he could do so now. "But they're really patient. They could leave me, but they don't."

"Yes, well, chains do typically make leaving harder."

"I didn't ask them to come find me, but they're going to anyway." Finally, Steven stopped giving her such a kind smile. He liked to think his patience was abundant, but now he finally felt a chip in it. Still, he kept his voice surprisingly calm. "You won't take anything I tell you, huh?"

"Why should I?!" Jasper jabbed a finger at him, pressed against the pink barrier between them. From where he sat, it was almost right at his nose. "After everything you've done, what reason do I have to believe a word you say?"

" _I_ didn't do anything! I'm not Rose. I'm Steven.  _Stee-ven._ Even if you just  _pretended_ you believed me, I think you'd understand everything a lot better."

Jasper was silent for just a moment. And then she was back to her assault on the Bubble.

At this point, Steven considered— _considered—_ giving up. Talking to Jasper was the closest he'd come to talking to a brick wall. He couldn't think of a single thing that would convince Jasper to at the very least stop in her pursuit of getting them all shattered. But even if he didn't (though he really, really, really wanted to), Jasper did have answers that he needed.

"Could you at least tell me what the Cluster is going to do?" he asked again.

Jasper crashed her helmet against the Bubble. "No."

"Alright, Jasper. You've left me no choice." Steven cleared his very dry throat and asked, as sweetly as he could, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—"

Jasper frowned down at him. "Stop that."

"—eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—"

"I'm serious. Shut up."

"—eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—"

"ENOUGH!"

"—eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—"

" _ALRIGHT, I'LL TELL YOU!"_

"—ease? Thank you!"

But Steven's all-genuine, grateful smile was completely slapped off his face by what Jasper told him next.

"The Cluster is a weapon in the middle of the Earth. Once it's ready, it's going to burst out, completely destroying this stupid planet and all the stupid things that live on it."

It must have been the heat that kept Steven from understanding what he just heard. He was very aware that Jasper was still watching him, and that there was the beginning of a little smirk at her lips, but he could still only say, "What?"

"That's right." Jasper knelt down, elbows on her knees, no longer hiding her smile. It was catlike, smug, satisfied. "Your pwecious widdle planet and your pwecious widdle humans are finally going to get taken away from you. And there's nothing you and your  _'fweinds'_ can do about it!"

Steven finally understood then.

And if that didn't wake him up, nothing else would.

He stood up without realizing it, and the dumbstruck expression on his face only made Jasper grin all the wider. He had thought…he had thought that Homeworld was a threat they were keeping at bay, but they had been there, literally under their feet, the whole time.

It was going to rip the entire planet apart. Like…like paper.

How long until the Cluster would come out?

Oh, no—

Beach City—

Connie—

Greg—

The others—

— **everyone** —

— **everywhere** —

—they would—

—they were going to be—

"No."

Jasper hummed at him, one brow raised, a little bemused. "'No'?"

"There has to be something we can do. The Earth is our home— _they've all done too much to lose it like this!"_

He couldn't even describe the fire that was burning in his chest. He thought, in some small part of his mind, that maybe he should be crying right now, shaking with fear. But instead he was filled with nothing but pure determination. Not a single doubt was in his mind.

He was  _not_ losing his home. He was  _not_ losing his family.

Jasper, of course, had no way of knowing about the fire inside of him, and her reaction was thus very unimpressed. "Right. Okay. You got a plan?"

Steven began to pace. There was still sweat on his brow, an itch on his skin, a dry throat and an empty stomach, but he ignored all those things in favor of putting his mind into overdrive. Whatever the Cluster was, it was deep in the Earth, and the only way to get to it was to dig somehow.

"We need to get down there," he said aloud. "We just need to find a way to get to it."

"Yeah, with what?"

Steven stopped to look over at Jasper. She was watching him. Still unimpressed.

"Shouldn't you be worried?" he asked her. "You're on the Earth now."

"In case you forgot, I have a ship. And once your backup shows, I don't intend on letting them keep me from that ship. If it makes you feel better, you're coming with me, but it's only going to get you a few extra hours."

Steven just ignored her in favor of looking down at the dirt. It was all dry and loose, but beneath that it got harder. Then it was rock, then at some point magma. Then something else, but whatever it was, the point remained that they were going to need something powerful to get down as much as they needed to.

Something not too far away from him caught his eye. It was a little sparkle, it looked to him, and it was very out-of-place in all the brown and orange.

He stumbled after it and Jasper let him go, seemingly marking it off as more pacing. For the time, he forgot her, too—because, well, Jasper wasn't really the number-one priority anymore.

Once he got to it, he saw that it was a little piece of metal, jutting up from the dirt, just the size of his fingernail. He meant to kneel down beside it, but dizziness hit him once again, and he crashed to his knees. He had to keep his head up while he dug around it with his fingers. They were moving out of his control now, his brain too disoriented to get them moving right.

Still, he managed to get several inches of the thing out. It didn't reveal the thing very much. It seemed to be a simple metal spike, but it wasn't supposed to be there. It wasn't natural, so he wondered where it had come from.

Looking to the far end of the bowl again, where the crack ran up to the sky, he thought about what lied in the path of the canyon. More dirt, of course, but also many, many holes in the silhouettes of people. Those holes had been made by emerging Gems, and those Gems had been put there by Injectors, and…

That's when a lightbulb went off over Steven's head, and though he would have liked to have another wave of invigoration out of it, it was more like a very muted pinch. Make no mistake, the idea gave him much, much hope, but that hope was squashed under the fact that he felt like a pile of mashed potatoes at the moment.

"We can drill down," he laughed aloud. "We can drill down and get to it! It'll be easy! It'll be easy…"

As he laid a hand over the spike, which must have been part of an Injector's leg or a drill or whatever, he could just imagine it. All they had to do was get one up and working. They could even dig up this one. The legs would have to come up, one by one, bit by bit. They would be like spider legs. They would be all around him, curling in, their sharp points targeted right at his soft, fleshy body.

Steven blinked.

Because that was what was happening.

He just barely managed to throw himself forward and away before it happened. A loud  _BOOM,_ a spray of dust and rock, the sound of old gears grinding and twisting together, something sloshing and spilling. With the sudden movement, the world span around in circles. He only vaguely felt himself skidding across the ground.

Flopping himself over, he found himself looking up at a tower. The sunlight glinted off it harshly. Something red was spilling forth from it and glittering scarlet. He knew it was an Injector, but it didn't  _look_ like an Injector. It looked like some kind of giant bug, and for as long as it had been underground, the stinger between its four legs was as sharp as ever.

The Injector walked around almost drunkenly, its body swaying and teetering. It was making unnatural churning sounds. It was dying, but it was fighting.

He heard Jasper say something, and if his mind had been clearer, he would have been able to tell that it was a cry of, "Look at that. You've made another friend."

His vision was beginning to blur and warp together, so he didn't realize that the Injector was creeping for him until it was too late. He only managed to start crawling away when one of its legs touched down just a hair away from his foot. When its drill was above him, right above his belly, something rang out. A chime.

And again, Steven just barely managed to roll away. The drill struck down into the Earth, spinning and pushing, completely biting through the rock. Once it was all the way in, something in it tried to inject a Gem, but there was nothing to give. So with just an empty sort of chug, the drill pulled itself back out.

"Just lie still," Jasper called out to him. "I think it'll leave you alone if you let it kill you."

Steven heard the sarcasm, could have from a mile away, but he just couldn't pull himself up to his feet. No matter how much he strained his arms and legs, his body just refused to pull itself up. When the drill came over him again, he flipped himself over and out of its way again, but he knew that was it.

He couldn't move anymore. He was tired. He was thirsty. He was empty. He was sick. He couldn't even flex his big toe, his body felt so heavy.

Jasper spoke up again, and though he still heard the sarcasm, there was a hint of confusion there, too. Not worry, but something was bothering her as she stared down at him. "You know, if you want to cut the 'I'm pathetic and can't do anything' act for five seconds, you're more than welcome."

If the drill came for him again, that would be it. It would have been. He'd be obliterated.

But the drill crawled over him to go to Jasper instead. She did not look immediately alarmed as it came towards her, even appearing amused when its legs prodded at and slid off the Bubble. She just crossed her arms and stared it down. It kept making its weird sounds, and more than ever, it sounded like a confused but predatory animal.

Steven watched from where he laid in the dust. At last, Jasper scoffed at the thing. "Come on. What are you going to do, huh?"

She knocked her shoulder against the Bubble, sending it rolling forward and bumping against the Injector. Jasper stopped smirking when a leg touched down on it, then another, then another.

The Injector somehow managed to perch itself up and over the Bubble with balance despite its obvious malfunction. Jasper tried again to roll the Bubble away, but then the Injector's legs shot out at double their length, embedding themselves in the ground. The Bubble, and Jasper, were trapped at its mercy.

Jasper's helmet wrapped over her face again. Though she was scowling upwards at the sharp drill, Steven's weak stomach plummeted. He reached out, and his arm fell limply into the dust.

The Injector pulled itself up, and he tried again. He concentrated. He forced himself to do what needed to be done, just barely managing to wheeze out a brittle  _"Jasper…!"_

The Bubble  _popped_. Jasper was free.

For half a second, she blinked. Then she jumped.

She shoulder-rolled away from the drill right before it came striking down. This was where Steven was sure it was going to end. Surely Jasper would take advantage of her freedom to get to her ship. Well, no, she was more likely to get him first and  _then_ get to her ship.

Jasper didn't do that.

Which confused him immensely.

While the drill kept spinning and churning up dirt, Jasper took hold of one of its legs and pulled. There was a creak, almost a shriek of surprise, and then the whole Injector came crashing on its side. Its other legs scuttled to keep it upright and failed. The reverberations only made Steven queasier.

All it took was one hard yank to rip the leg off. Jasper just let it drop, and when another leg tried to pull the Injector up, she gave it an annoyed kick. She rounded the thing with lazy speed, arms at her side. Steven was confusedly reminded of a prowling tiger at that moment. He would have laughed, but the idea alone of laughing made him hurt.

The drill was still spinning, but that didn't stop Jasper. She put one hand on the drill, another on the body, and pushed them apart. For once, Steven saw Jasper exerting effort. Her biceps bulged. Her teeth grit together.

It only took a moment. The drill went flying off the Injector and crashed somewhere in the distance. The rest of it twitched on the ground, a sight that visibly annoyed Jasper. She jumped atop it with surprising elegance, though her boots still thumped down hard on it.

Steven stopped watching when Jasper reared her head back. Rather than hearing, he felt her helmet bashing down hard, felt the crack of destruction and the final whine of the gears. The very last of the red biomaterial trickled out in congealed puddles.

Steven was positive he lost consciousness for a moment, because even when his eyes were wide open, his vision was dark for several seconds. It came back to him bit by hazy bit. He felt as though he were breaking the surface of water. Oh how he  _wished_ he was in water.

The sky was the first thing to come back, then a shadow looming over him. He couldn't see her face.

Steven was too exhausted to be scared. He knew what she was going to do. If only he had gotten through to her, some part of him still insisted. If only the Crystal Gems had gotten there sooner. If only, if only…

Something bit his cheek. He couldn't even wince.

When nothing else followed, Steven hesitantly opened his eyes again.

It was, of course, Jasper, but she did not have her hands on his throat, or her boot against his chest. She wasn't even looking into his eyes, instead focused on his cheek, where one finger was pressing into his skin.

She pulled it away and stared at her fingertip, where red liquid was smeared. She rubbed it against her thumb, slowly, not blinking. Steven did not remember getting his cheek scraped at any point, though considering what all he had been through, he guessed he probably didn't look too great.

Jasper then looked into his eyes.

Steven didn't think he'd ever seen the yellow so clear before.

"You're not Rose."

He breathed out. "No."

"You don't know anything."

"No."

Hands went beneath his armpits and lifted him up. It wasn't exactly gentle, but for as harsh as Jasper's every movement was, it might as well have been a delicate touch. His head lolled around his shoulders and his legs dangled beneath him. Even with his mind spinning in tornadoes, he managed to keep his eyes on her face. On her eyes. On her pursed lips and furrowed brows.

"What are you?" she asked.

"I'm Steven."

"You're human?"

"…Kind of."

Using one thumb, Jasper pulled up his shirt hem just a touch. At the sight of his Gem, she frowned, yet Steven couldn't find any anger in her face. Displeasure, perhaps, but not anger.

Whether he felt confused, or hopeful, or scared, it didn't matter. The moment was swiftly and effectively ended by a voice neither his nor Jasper's tearing through the hot, dry air.

" _JASPER!"_

Steven guessed Jasper had pressed himself to her, one hand on the back of his head and the other on his body. That's what it felt like, anyway. He couldn't tell what she did next, only that it involved some kind of swift movement that did not make him feel better  _at all._ Neither far away nor nearby, something burst.

"YOU PUT HIM DOWN  _RIGHT NOW!"_

When he recognized the voice as Opal's, he finally got his body working. Or, rather, he finally "told" his body to get it together because if it didn't, something  _very bad_ was going to happen  _very quickly._

For the next few seconds, Steven was unable to tell what was happening all around him, but the others could see it just fine. From the top of the bowl, the Crystal Gems—all bearing their Weapons, all staring down at Jasper, staring down at Jasper holding Steven, staring down at Steven with the cut on his cheek and bruises on his skin—had finally arrived. And Jasper, holding the being that was not Rose Quartz but wasn't entirely human but also had no business being involved in  _any_  of this, was watching them all and debating just what she was going to do. Should she get… _Stee-ven_  away from this, or go straight for the rest of these traitors?

Of course, the Crystal Gems weren't thinking so calmly. The sight alone of the much taller, much stronger, already-having-hurt-him-once Gem manhandling Steven had even Sapphire burning with rage. Opal had struck first, firing an arrow she had very carefully aimed for Jasper's head.

Now they all took off. Sapphire zipped down and left a stream of glittering ice in her wake. Opal jumped up into the air and came flying down hard. Ruby blazed a trail as she ran faster than she'd ever run before.

Here Jasper held Steven a little tighter, still thinking. She was positive she could take them all with the curious little thing still in her hold, but whether or not it would come out with its fleshy little body unharmed, she couldn't tell.

And, of course, Steven was between all of them, summoning up every last bit of strength he had in his body and channeling it all together. He wasn't going to let them fight. They couldn't fight anymore; there was so much more to take care of. He couldn't let this happen, he couldn't let this happen…

Lightning zapped through his belly. The shield returned.

With a sudden stop, a hard thud, and a skid, the Crystal Gems all pulled themselves ten feet short of it. It wasn't even all that large, maybe just big enough to go on Steven's arm, but the sheer sight of it—not only that, but that it was being used against  _them_ —had their bodies and minds freezing. Ruby's fire and Sapphire's ice died in an instant.

Steven knew he was working on his last burst of adrenaline, so he was thinking fast. He pushed himself against Jasper's chest, and was speaking even before she had pulled him back. "No! No more fighting! Everyone  _stop!"_

The shield phased away, giving him clear view of the others. They were all staring at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. And looking up at Jasper, she was watching them warily. Though not poised to attack, she didn't let her helmet go.

Ruby was the first to speak up. Steven had never heard her voice give such a whip-like crack before, but maybe that was the…everything speaking.  _"WHAT?!"_

"Get away from her, Steven!" Sapphire took a step forward, knuckledusters raised and ready. "Now, before she does something!"

Opal did not at all drop her bow, and she appeared as though she was just barely resisting the urge to summon up another arrow. Her gaze on Jasper was as sharp as broken glass. "Jasper, if you hurt a hair on his head, I  _won't hesitate_."

"You must be forgetful," drawled Jasper, even as she let Steven sit in the bend of her arm. "I poofed you the first time. We didn't even finish the second time. I really don't think you want to—"

"I said  _stop!"_

Again silence fell. And finally, it seemed that they were listening.

"This isn't important anymore," Steven told them all. "It doesn't matter who is on who's side. What matters is that the whole Earth is going to be destroyed and we've got to do something about it!"

All three Crystal Gems started at this. Sapphire herself went rigid, and it was only Ruby who let out a quiet and very confused, "What…?"

Steven felt Jasper's scoff. "Need I remind you of the fact that I  _do not care_ and that I  _have a ship?"_

"Hey."

Jasper looked at Opal sharply, but the fusion just threw a thumb over her shoulder. Steven and Jasper both turned their gazes upwards, and immediately found the trail of greenish smoke spilling upwards.

" _You…stupid…rebels…"_

"Homeworld put something in the Earth that's going to destroy it from the inside-out," Steven told them all. "And we've all got to do something about it right now!"

Of course, this was followed by another length of stunned silence, along with obvious dawning horror. Sapphire let her knuckledusters disappear seemingly without thinking. Opal had frozen up in the telltale sign of inner turmoil. Ruby was blinking rapidly, and her head was shaking just slightly.

She finally snapped out of it enough to grip her raise her gauntlets up again and bark out, " _She_ needs to be taken care of first! She isn't going to stop until we're all dead, Steven! Get away from her so I can—!"

"I won't let you poof her."

Ruby's mouth snapped shut.

Opal spoke up next. "What do you think she's going to do, Steven? Sit back and let us work?"

"No. She's going to help us."

"What?" whispered Sapphire.

"What?" barked Ruby.

"What?" asked Opal.

"What," stated Jasper.

The idea had come to Steven in that one moment, and as such he was at a loss for words to explain himself. Even as they all stared at him, waiting.

He did come up with something.

"Would you excuse us for just a moment?"

And then he put he and Jasper both in a Bubble.

Steven didn't see how they reacted to this—"negatively" was his guess—as he turned his full attention to Jasper. She set him down on his feet, again with a surprising lack of roughness. And when she stayed kneeling in front of him, she did it with her elbow just resting on her knee, with a posture that could have been called casual.

"Okay," Steven began, "I know you don't like us all—"

"Uh, you think?"

"—but now you're stuck on the Earth, same as us. If the Cluster emerges, what will happen to us will happen to you, too. But if you  _help_ us…"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Jasper held a palm up to him, big enough to cover his face. "And I'm going to tell you that I feel sorry for you."

Steven blinked up at her. "You're sorry?"

"I feel sorry  _for_ you." Jasper sighed and looked off to the side. Her jaw was working side-to-side. "This isn't your fault. You shouldn't be involved in any of this. You never  _should_ have been involved in any of this."

"Oh…Uh…Well…"

"But that doesn't change anything. That doesn't change the fact that Rose Quartz… _made_ you so she could run away from what she did. And now that I know that, those  _things_ disgust me even more. Brainwashed or not, they knew you weren't Rose Quartz, didn't they? And they forced you to take her spot anyway. To keep up their image, I bet. I know I'd be embarrassed if my 'brave and fearless' leader made herself into a  _human_ just so she didn't have to deal with what she did."

"You were so close. You were so close…"

Jasper ignored him. "And because of that, I  _can't_ work with them. I refuse to. And I suggest you open your eyes and do the same."

"We don't have time to unpack all of that," Steven said slowly, "so I'll just get to the point. We're the only ones that have a chance of beating this thing.  _You_ know more about it than any of us. And whether or not I'm supposed to be involved doesn't matter because I would be involved no matter what! This thing is going to destroy the Earth, so it's going to destroy  _me,_ and it's going to destroy  _you._ "

Jasper did not at all appear happy with this, but she didn't disagree. "Having this planet be destroyed was the only reason I agreed to come here to begin with. Getting revenge on Rose Quartz was just going to be a bonus, and now…"

"And now?"

"And now that's changed," she clipped out. " _So…_ I will assist in taking care of the Cluster. But I have some conditions."

A few minutes later, the Bubble finally burst, and the Crystal Gems—who had been in a very confused pseudo-argument about what exactly was going on when did this happen what even—stood to attention. Though they had let their Weapons go at seeing Jasper speaking so calmly to Steven, however startling that sight was, they kept their fists clenched and their feet apart.

Jasper and Steven stood almost side-by-side. The former looked very unhappy. The latter looked very satisfied.

Jasper crossed her arms over her chest and declared, high and clear, "You are all the most disgusting excuses for Gems I have ever had the misfortune of meeting, and you should be ashamed of what you've done to this Steven, this planet, and countless other Gems who would be alive today had you not started a war to satisfy a single Gem instead of minding your business and doing as you were told."

They took all of this, albeit with hackles raised and eyes narrowed. Once it was over, Ruby offered, "But…?"

"There's no but to that. I would like to add that I will assist in the plan to keep the Cluster from destroying this planet, however worthless it is, if only to keep myself from being killed with the rest of you."

Opal offered,  _"But…?"_

" _But_ once that task is completed, I will go to the Moon Base to contact Homeworld and tell them that I am stranded here on Earth. Afterwards, I will explain everything that you have done, I will say that I had no part in neutralizing the Cluster, and once I have been retrieved and returned, I will do nothing to stop the Cluster from being  _un_ -neutralized, or to stop Homeworld from shattering you all in whatever way they do it."

The Crystal Gems looked past her at Steven.

He nodded.

"Fine," Opal agreed. Sapphire and Ruby mumbled together.

"I do not look forward to this," said Jasper.

Ruby clicked her tongue. "Ditto."

Steven at last let out a sigh of relief, even though he knew this was just the first step of a very, very,  _very_  long road.

That's when the dehydration, fatigue, and starvation decided to make their comeback, and just before he fell into a long, deep, deserved sleep (that would be ended with a glass of water and many orange slices a few hours later), he tugged on the end of Jasper's cape and asked, "Can you hold me again?"


End file.
